


Wild rice

by Lalalando



Category: The Legend of Zelda & Related Fandoms
Genre: Comfort, Comfort Food, Emotional Hurt/Comfort, Family Fluff, Gen, Linked Universe (Legend of Zelda)
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-11-04
Updated: 2020-12-11
Packaged: 2021-03-09 02:33:24
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 12
Words: 26,128
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/27377260
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Lalalando/pseuds/Lalalando
Summary: A series of one-shots (mostly comfort fics) where Wild and the others bond one-on-one over food and cooking.Basically just an excuse for fluff, love and comfort. Inspired by sister_dear.Bonus chapters now being added!
Comments: 247
Kudos: 729





	1. Bread and stew

**Author's Note:**

> Wild is definitely not as much of a gremlin here as I would usually see him. I like to think of these little one-shots as in between bouts of gremlinness and chaos.
> 
> My HC here is that WIld is still fairly new to the group but is used to observing his surroundings and sees a lot more than he is given credit for. He's a man of action, and his barren Hyrule hasn't given him much of a chance to express what he's feeling in words.
> 
> BUT, his main skill besides fighting etc is cooking, so if he wants to do something nice for someone, the only way he knows how is to make them a meal. =)
> 
> I also think all of the incarnations of the hero appreciate a good meal, so the others are perfectly fine with him expressing love like this. <3

Hyrule looked down into his bowl in disbelief and his stomach gave a loud grumble making Wind, sitting next to him, laugh good-naturedly.

‘Smells good, eh? I’m glad we found Wild, _finally_ someone in this group can cook! I mean, it’s not as good as my Grandma’s soup. Nothing is that good. But this still smells amazing, better than that time Legend tried to make boiled cucco eggs for sure! _That_ smelled like _farts!_ ’ He laughed loudly and without further hesitation, shoved a mouthful of his own dinner into his mouth and began to chew. ‘ _Mmmm!’_

Hyrule swallowed wordlessly. The rich stew of meat and vegetables in front of him, as well as the hunk of crusty bread, was the most delicious smelling thing he had ever been given.

And it was all his. _He_ was allowed to eat _this_.

He barely even noticed when a laughing Warriors beckoned Wind to join him on the other side of the fire, Twilight and Four already laughing at whatever he wanted to tell the young pirate. He was focussed only on his bowl.

Carefully, he scooped a small amount of the stew onto his spoon, the light-hearted conversation from the others washing over him as they collected their own meals from the enigmatic Wild, who had only joined their number a few hours ago but had volunteered, rather emphatically, to cook when he’d seen the dried jerky everyone was pulling from their packs.

Hyrule blew gently on his spoon and then cautiously put the bite into his mouth. The meat was so tender, it broke apart without him even having to chew it, the potato, carrot and onion as well as something green that he couldn’t identify adding interesting texture and a sweet earthiness that he wasn’t expecting. The gravy was rich and savoury.

His eyes widened, it was _delicious_. He reached for his piece of freshly baked bread, holding it up to his nose and just _inhaling_ before tearing a small bite off. The outside was crunchy and the inside soft and delicious, still just slightly warm.

He placed it in his mouth and smiled. Equally as delicious. He couldn’t believe that food like this existed.

He looked up to see Wild sinking next to him on the log he was using as a bench, his own dinner in hand.

‘Wild?’ He said softly, catching the other’s attention.

Curious and cautious eyes, in the most vibrant shade of blue Hyrule had ever seen, flicked in his direction.

‘Th-this is delicious.’ He said quietly. He gestured at his bowl, which he was holding carefully as if it held something sacred. ‘I… I’ve _never_ eaten something so good. Thank you.’

Wild nodded slowly, a small frown on his face, seeming to read some of what Hyrule was trying to say, but was unable to articulate in his expression.

Hyrule, grimaced. ‘You wouldn’t know, but my Hyrule is a… it’s a ruin. Food isn’t easy to get…all the time.’

Wild’s frown grew and he nodded wordlessly, mind preoccupied. He dunked his bread into his stew, using it to sop up some of the rich gravy. Noticing when Hyrule’s eyes expanded in realisation and he copied the scarred Champion, dunking his own bread and then sighing in pleasure when he bit into it.

Wild cleared his throat, catching Hyrule’s attention. It was Wild’s first night with the group and it was obvious that the other was not used to speaking. His Hyrule was also a desolate place, but what it lacked in people, it made up for in dangerous monsters which left him cautious and curious about the others in a way that Hyrule recognised from when he had first joined himself. 

‘I… I’ve never cooked for anyone before.’ He admitted. ‘I’m really glad you like it.’

He watched as Hyrule took another bite, being so careful not to spill a single drop that he brought the bowl all the way up to his mouth along with his spoon.

‘I…’ Wild paused, looking even more uncertain. Hyrule turned to look at him, again pausing in his food, determined not to let anything distract him from enjoying every mouthful. Wild smiled slightly, the first smile he had given them since he joined the group earlier that day.

‘I was thinking of making hot-buttered apples for dessert…’

Hyrule gasped, eyes huge and Wild’s smile grew slightly. He nodded, mind apparently made up.

‘I’m making hot-buttered apples for dessert.’ He confirmed more strongly.

‘Someone gave me an apple on my journey.’ Hyrule said, eyes bright and clear. ‘It was so delicious! I didn’t know you could cook them!’

Wild nodded towards the bowl that Hyrule was holding, looking more confident than he had all day. ‘Well, finish your stew first and you can help me?’

Hyrule looked back down at his stew and grinned. Carefully filling his spoon again and transferring it to his mouth. A comfortable silence fell over them as Wild listened to Sky tell the others about his Loftwing and Hyrule concentrated all of his attention on his dinner.

Wild cleared his throat again, louder this time and caught the attention of everyone. ‘I-if anyone wants more, there’s plenty in the pot for everyone.’ He tapped his slate. ‘I didn’t know how much to make for so many people, so whatever we don’t eat, I’ll store in the slate.’

A cheer went around the group and Warriors and Twilight stood immediately, closely followed by Sky and Time.

Wild huffed a laugh of disbelief at their enthusiasm. ‘I guess they like it?’ he said quietly to Hyrule.

The older grinned. ‘We’ve been together for about 3 weeks now, and we’ve been living on travel provisions. Jerky and hardtack and stuff.’ He shrugged one shoulder. ‘I thought it’s been pretty good, we’ve always had enough to go around at least. But this…’ He gestured at the pot where a slightly smiling Four was now handing the ladle to Legend, whose cheeks were still bulging as he struggled to chew what was left from his last bowl even as he refilled it with a generous second helping. ‘This is _so_ good.’

There was something about how he said it, a memory of _hunger_ , that had Wild again pausing. ‘I-if you ever want something to eat, just come and tell me ok?’ he began cautiously.

‘I cook a lot, I always have something I can share… it will… be nice to have someone to share with. I’m going to cook all our meals from now if the others will let me, but… if you ever want something extra, just say.’ 

Unbidden, hot tears filled Hyrule’s eyes at the offer and Wild gave him another small, compassionate smile, averting his eyes and going back to his stew.

‘I mean that.’ He continued, insistent. ‘Wake me up if I’m asleep. _Any_ time.’

Hyrule nodded wordlessly.

‘And take your time with the stew.’ Wild suggested with a smirk. ‘There’s enough for you to have seconds, even thirds if you want them, and we have all night to make hot-buttered apples and warm milk.’

Hyrule laughed at the sudden addition of hot milk and Wild grinned back easily. Hyrule noticed that now that he looked more relaxed a hint of mischief was clear in the scarred young man’s smile.

‘I’m glad you’re here, Wild.’ He said quietly, genuinely. ‘And not just because you can cook.’

Wild’s smile turned bitter-sweet, gaze sweeping around the friendly atmosphere of the full campsite. ‘Me too, I think.’

A long beat of silence fell over them again before Wild perked up. ‘Hey…? Do you like exploring? Cause there’s a place near here that I think you might really like. I can show you tomorrow?’

The hint of mischief in Wild’s expression was suddenly echoed in Hyrule’s.

Oh yes, this was the beginning of a beautiful relationship.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Hyrule and Wild are besties. I believe this in my soul.


	2. Pumpkin soup

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Sky is feeling homesick, Wild attempts to help him with a little taste of home.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Two chapters in two days... it's because you all encouraged me. This is your fault.
> 
> I'm not a great writer like some of you, but I do my best, please be kind.
> 
> Wild is definitely not as much of a gremlin here as I would usually see him. I like to think of these little one-shots as in between bouts of gremlinness and chaos.
> 
> My HC here is that WIld is still fairly new to the group but is used to observing his surroundings and sees a lot more than he is given credit for. He's a man of action, and his barren Hyrule hasn't given him much of a chance to express what he's feeling in words.
> 
> BUT, his main skill besides fighting etc is cooking, so if he wants to do something nice for someone, the only way he knows how is to make them a meal. =)
> 
> I also think all of the incarnations of the hero appreciate a good meal, so the others are perfectly fine with him expressing love like this. <3

Sky sighed, eyes closed and head tilted back to catch the last of the sun’s rays on his face. It was nearing night-time, and as always happened when they were in the forest for long periods of time with only dappled light to guide them and no clear views of the sky, he found himself feeling claustrophobic and increasingly homesick.

He missed Skyloft so much it _hurt_. He missed his loftwing, he missed the beauty of the sun shining on the fluffy white clouds below them, he missed being able to visit Skyloft when he wanted and ride his loftwing through the open skies. But most of all, he missed Sun.

He leaned forwards, head now in his hands. He could feel the prickle at the back of his eyes that meant he was dangerously close to tears. He felt trapped, surrounded by the darkness, the trees closing in on him.

He clenched his eyes closed more tightly and bit his lower lip, the feeling that he was going to explode solidifying in a tight ball in his chest. A soft hand on his shoulder jolted him back to the present and he turned his head to see Wild looking at him with a soft expression. There was no judgment in his gaze at all, only understanding, and Sky felt his shoulders relax minutely.

‘I need some help with dinner.’ Wild said so only Sky could hear. ‘Wanna help?’

Sky felt himself flush slightly at the obvious ruse from the younger man but appreciated the distraction. In a movement that was much harder than it should have been, he hauled himself to his feet and followed Wild back to the cooking pot. The others, as was usual for this time of the night, were preoccupied with their own tasks, leaving the two alone.

‘What are you making?’ Sky asked, hearing the uncharacteristic heaviness in his own voice. Wild gave him a small smile and unlatched his slate from his belt, handing it to the startled Skyloftian.

‘No idea.’ Wild answered breezily, he crouched down and grabbed the huge crockpot he cooked in every night, placing it on top of the cooking fire so it could warm.

‘I’ve opened that to the ingredients list’ he added, gesturing at the slate that Sky was holding loosely. ‘Anything in there take your fancy?’

Sky frowned and looked down, not really seeing the ingredients as he scrolled through the list. It was unusual for Wild to have gone to the effort of building the cooking fire if he hadn’t decided what he was going to make yet. Sky could only assume that Wild had seen his distress and had decided to let Sky choose the evening meal. Or at least, the main ingredient. A small gasp came from deep within his chest, his fingers stumbling to a halt, eyes frozen on the screen.

Wild gave a curious hum and stood, peering over his friend’s shoulder.

‘Pumpkin?’ He hesitated, looking a little unsure. ‘You… like pumpkins?’

Sky swallowed and wrenched his eyes from the screen nodding. He licked his lips, trying to keep the sudden hope from his voice, but not _quite_ succeeding. Feeling vulnerable and exposed as he asked, what would normally be, a simple question.

‘D…do you know how to make… P-pumpkin soup?’ 

Wild gave him a grin and a wink, gently taking the slate back and subtly directing Sky towards the fireplace. ‘Of course.’

Sky let himself grin slightly, already feeling a little more cheerful when Wild pulled two enormous pumpkins from his slate and handed them to him.

‘Chop these.’ Wild instructed, suddenly all business. He held out his fingers so that his thumb and forefinger were about four centimetres apart. ‘Into cubes about that big.’ Sky nodded and got to work, taking the knife he was handed. They had learned, through trial and error, that although Wild was the only one who understood flavours, the others at least had decent knife skills.

‘So.’ Wild asked, after a few minutes of chopping onions and aromatics with enviable speed. While Sky began to skin the pumpkins ‘Pumpkin soup?’

Sky nodded, suddenly eager to talk now that his hands were occupied with the familiar task.

‘Pumpkin soup is…’ he let out a puff of a laugh. ‘I guess it’s the national dish of Skyloft? We have a pumpkin festival and everything. It’s hard to grow things so high up, but pumpkins always thrived.’ He stopped chopping for a moment, eyes distant. ‘I’ve tried pumpkin soup a few times since leaving home, only once on our… current adventure. But it’s never the same.’ He shook himself slightly and smiled at Wild who was looking at him intently, blue eyes glinting.

‘What’s missing?’

Sky frowned. ‘I’m not sure… in Skyloft the pumpkin soup has a bit of sweetness to it… and a little bit of a spiciness…?’

Wild nodded slowly, chewing his bottom lip. ‘I don’t know what pumpkin soup in Skyloft tastes like. But there’s a trick I sometimes use to add a bit of sweetness to my pumpkin soup when I’m making it for Zelda.’ He paused, considering. ‘I think we can do something with some spices too… I can grind them up and you can smell it before we put them in to see if we’re close…’

Sky looked up, intrigued and a small flare of hope rekindling in his chest when he saw Wild’s eyes sparkling.

‘Wanna try and re-create your national dish?’

Sky felt his own smile become more natural. Even if it didn't work and was an abysmal failure, it would be nice to _try_ and capture a piece of home.

At his grin, Wild reached for his slate and began to swipe through his ingredients list again. With a flourish, he pulled out a few apples. ‘Sweetness.’ He announced and then kept swiping. A handful of different herbs suddenly appeared in his hands, followed by both a chilli and a bottle of Goron spice. ‘And the spices.’

The elder’s eyes went wide at the sight. Wild grinned again and then moved on to chopping the apples.

‘I know it seems weird.’ Wild began softly, eyes on his task. ‘But the apples really add something. Zelda said she really likes it when the apples and the pumpkins are stewed together, so maybe that’s what Skyloftians use? You said you have apple trees right?’

Sky nodded wordlessly, eyes following Wild’s deft movements and thoughts running rampant. He _never_ would have thought of adding apples! Now that he thought about it, there was something about Skyloftian pumpkin soup, an aftertaste of freshness, that hinted at the fruit.

Wild grinned at Sky’s vacant expression and moved on to the spices. He hummed, deep in thought. ‘So… is the spiciness like… a curry kind of taste, hotter? More savoury?’

Sky closed his eyes, thinking about the last time he’d eaten pumpkin soup with his Zelda. He pulled his bottom lip into his mouth, trying to taste it. ‘It’s… warm. Not spicy like a chilli or a curry but... definitely savoury…you can taste the sweetness. It somehow warms your chest up but doesn’t burn your tongue.’

Wild nodded absently and began sorting the herbs, shifting and shuffling them into different combinations with long-fingered hands as he thought. He tried several different mixtures of herbs, crushing them slightly in his hand and sniffing each one in turn before subtly shaking his head and resorting them into another blend, searching for something that was beyond the Skyloftian who simply watched, curious.

Finally, Wild picked up some amaranth and warm safflina, he closed his eyes and inhaled and then sat for a moment considering, head tilted to the side, he gave a small smile and then reached for a piece of rock salt and began grinding them together into a powder.

After a moment of watching curiously, Sky moved back onto his task of carefully cubing the pumpkin pieces and they fell into an easy silence. Sky’s thoughts wandering towards home as his hands mechanically worked.

‘Close your eyes and give this a sniff.’ Wild’s sudden voice to his left had Sky jumping again, and he looked up to see the chef holding a bowl and grinning.

‘What?’ he managed.

Wild shook the bowl at him. ‘I’ve ground some herbs up that I think would go great with pumpkin. Give it a sniff, you’ll be able to tell if it’s close.’

Obediently, Sky closed his eyes. He heard the shift of material as Wild moved closer and then inhaled when he sensed the bowl was close. Immediately, tears sprang into his eyes and his mind went to Autumn in Skyloft. It was the smell of home.

‘ _Oh_ …’ he breathed, unable to say anything else. He didn’t trust himself to reopen his eyes just yet, and so he kept them closed. After a moment, he heard Wild give a gentle little puff of a laugh and felt him place a hand on his shoulder.

‘So. Pretty close?’ He asked softly.

Sky nodded, and finally opened his eyes, aware that they were slightly damp but no longer caring.

Wild’s expression softened further, and he stood. ‘Time to construct.’ He held out his free hand and Sky took it, allowing himself to be hauled up, bowl of pumpkin and apple pieces in tow, towards the cooking fire.

‘Ok.’ Wild murmured, almost to himself, he settled, Sky next to him, content to watch for this part. ‘Aromatics first.’

Wild threw a bowl of chopped up ingredients into the pot, the smell of frying vegetables and the hiss of the fire instantly giving the clearing a warm feel. Using the cherry wood spoon that Sky had carved for him, Wild stirred the concoction around vigorously, trying to prevent it from burning.

Another companionable silence filled the clearing, and Sky found himself, not for the first time, grateful that all Links understood silence. They all seemed to understand when one of them wasn’t able to speak. They intuitively knew when one of them needed to talk, when they needed to listen and, most importantly, when to say nothing at all.

Somehow, Wild understood that the best way to get Sky back on track was to give him something to do that reminded him of home and to let him be _quiet_.

After several long moments of stirring, Wild held out his hand, and Sky, knowing what was needed, handed him the pumpkin and apple pieces. He watched as Wild fried those for several minutes until the apple began to brown and then he scattered the ground herbs over the top, stirring until the whole clearing began to smell of the spice mix he’d created.

The others perked up for a moment, many looking towards the cooking pot at the unexpected smell.

Sky grinned behind his hand when he saw Warriors actually swipe the back of his wrist against his mouth in an attempt to stop his drooling.

Wild added the broth and then gave everything another good stir. ‘Just gotta wait for it to cook now, and then we can mush it up.’ He held out a cup and Sky took it, surprised and curious. It was warm milk, spiced with just a little chickaloo nut and a sprinkle of sugar, just how he liked it. He shook his head in something approaching admiration, he hadn’t even seen Wild make this. He took a sip and closed his eyes, feeling a little more of the tightness in his chest unravel.

He breathed deeply in through his nose and felt the tightness in his scalp and shoulders relax slightly. With his eyes closed and the smell of spiced pumpkin soup bubbling away on the cookpot, he could almost be back on Skyloft. The feeling of claustrophobia lifted slightly and the clearing suddenly seemed less oppressive. Wind laughed softly at something Twilight said and Sky felt a smile of his own twitch at the corners of his mouth in response.

He inhaled deeply, breath hitching only slightly, held it, and then released it in a great gust.

He took another sip of his milk. Listening to his surroundings.

Before he knew it, his cup was empty and Wild was rising from his spot next to him to test the vegetables. ‘Done,’ he said, satisfied. He pulled out his masher and began to smoosh the vegetables together into a smoother texture. After several minutes, he dipped the serving spoon into the mix and then held it out to Sky.

‘What does it need?’ he asked.

Carefully, Sky sipped on the hot liquid and his eyes lit up. ‘It’s so close!’ he exclaimed. ‘Closer than it’s been since I left Skyloft.’

He watched Wild try the soup himself, the little grin that crossed his face before he smacked his lips, eyes narrowing in thought.

Sky continued, own brow lowered in thought. ‘There’s something missing though, but I have no idea what it is.’

Wild nodded to himself and began to swipe through his slate. ‘I think I know’ He pulled out a bottle of milk and added just a dash to the liquid, lighting the colour by a few shades.

He dipped the spoon in again and tasted it, expression clearing before holding it back out to Sky, gaze inquisitive.

Again, Sky took a sip and this time he gasped, hand going up to cover his mouth. ‘I think this is it.’

Wild grinned and looked around the clearing. ‘Dinner!’ he yelled, beginning to ladle the concoction into bowls.

‘FINALLY!’ Legend exclaimed, moving over instantly. ‘Whatever you two are brewing over here has had my stomach growling for _ages_.’

Wild handed Sky a serving and began to hand out bowls to everyone else, a contented chatter filling the clearing as several different conversations started.

‘This is delicious!’ Twilight muttered, looking astonished. The others echoed him, digging in with vigour.

Wild smiled, and sat next to Sky, nudging the older boy with his shoulder. ‘It’s an old Skyloft recipe.’

‘Well, I think it’s your best soup yet, Cub. Good work your two.’ Time grinned, delicately digging his spoon into the soup and scooping backwards with perfect table manners but then ruining the effect by shoving it into his mouth with a little too much enthusiasm.

Sky took a sip from his own bowl and sighed in satisfaction when he felt the warmth in his chest. It tasted familiar and sweet with just a hint of spice and, although it wasn’t _exactly_ like the soup he had grown up with, it was as perfect as it could get using the ingredients Wild had available.

The final bit of tension that had built up in his body over the last few days of walking in the forest left him in a rush and he grinned, feeling much better.

‘Wild.’ He said quietly.

‘Hmm?’ was the distracted reply.

‘…thanks.’

‘ _Anytime_.’

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Pumpkin soup with an apple in it is delicious. If you've never tried it, I highly recommend you do! 
> 
> Nooooo idea if Skyloft has apple trees because I've never played Skyward Sword. But for this fic's purposes, it does.


	3. Honey candy

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Four's colours have gotten a bit muddled together, Wild unknowingly helps him sort himself out.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I have been feeling particularly close to Four today so decided to do his chapter. This one is a little different though, Four's secret hasn't been exposed, so it's more introspective than the previous two chapters. 
> 
> The updates will most likely slow down for a bit now, I have uni I've been neglecting (#yolo #noregrets!), but I really wanted to put Four's chapter out.

Four was tired. More than tired. _Exhausted_.

He was sitting listlessly under a large tree, shoulders slumped and eyes half-lidded, watching the others move around the clearing, but completely uninterested in joining in himself.

For _days_ , his colours had been argumentative, frustrated and dissatisfied. For _days_ they had been snipping and sniping at each other, their constant disagreement pulling him in different directions, breaking his concentration at important times and pulling his attention away into himself, making him stare into space while the others continued on around him.

His sleep was affected and he was concerned that he was going to put everyone in danger when they inevitably fought their next group of infected monsters.

But where normally the colours would settle down once they realised that they were causing problems, the issue only seemed to be getting worse.

They suspected it had something to do with being unable to separate, something they would normally do at a moment’s notice when they needed to air their disagreements or settle a dispute. But, not something that they could do without outing their secret to the whole group of heroes.

Concerned with his strange, and uncharacteristically erratic behaviour, Time had even pulled him aside to question how he was doing and to let him know if he ever needed someone to talk to. Four had suppressed desperate, hysterical laughter and had simply nodded, promising to seek someone out.

But now, his reserves of energy were rapidly beginning to wear out. He was tired, desperately in need of a rest, but still unable to come to a solution unable to stop the disagreements and second-guessing.

Vio suspected that after the most recent switch between Hyrules, they were more intertwined than usual, feeling each other’s segmented emotions more clearly and blurring the, normally clearly defined, lines between them. 

He frowned from where he was sitting with his back resting up against the trunk of a large tree kneading his forehead with his fingers, maybe he should just separate out and be done with it, he was sure that the other heroes wouldn’t really mind.

He was startled out of his thoughts when a bowl appeared in front of his face. He blinked and looked up to see Wild crouching in front of him, holding a wooden bowl filled with small orange spheres. He smiled sheepishly when he realised that Wild had asked a question that he hadn’t heard.

‘Sorry, what did you say?’ Four asked.

Wild smiled but his eyes were searching, concerned. ‘Do you want some honey candy?’ He asked. ‘I had way too much courser bee honey stored in the slate, so I thought I’d make some while we were having a break.’

On instinct, Four took a piece and held it in his hand, staring, as if not sure what to do with it.

‘I’ve never had candy.’ Four admitted, looking at the amber coloured object in his hand with wary curiosity.

‘You suck on it.’ Wild said helpfully, standing from his crouch with the bowl in his hand. He popped a small piece into his own mouth to demonstrate, ‘It’s very sweet, but creamy too. I think you’ll like it.’

Four nodded, eyes glazed but flickering between four dominant colours as Wild walked away to hand out more candy. Four simultaneous thoughts slammied through his mind and he hissed in dismay when his headache spiked.

_I’m not eating that!_

_I want to try it!_

_Don’t you_ dare _!_

_What have we got to lose?_

Four growled, deep in his chest. He couldn’t keep trying to find a compromise for every tiny decision. It was exhausting. Wild had made honey candy, it shouldn’t be a 10-minute internal debate about whether he tried it or not.

Without further hesitation, Four shoved the candy in his mouth and began to suck on it. None of them were prepared for the creaminess of the sweet. It was like burnt caramel in a solid form that was delicious and satisfying and unexpectedly, for the first time in _days_ it seemed all four parts of him were in agreement.

He let out a slow, exhaled breath and his eyes fluttered closed at the four, simultaneous thoughts that ran through his mind, calmer now where only seconds ago they had been overflowing with frustration and the beginnings of anger.

_Mmmm…_

_Woah._

_Holy shit!_

_Oh!_

The sudden quiet inside his head as all four parts enjoyed the candy that was rolling around on his tongue was such a _relief_. He could feel the tension melting from his shoulders, the pressure headache that had been present for so long he didn’t even notice it anymore, beginning to loosen.

Meditatively, Four sat with his back against the tree he was leaning on, hands weaving gently in the long strands of grass around him, his eyes closed. Listening to the birds and gentle chatter of his friends, the leaves rustling in the trees and enjoying the simple pleasure of the candy in his mouth that all four parts of himself were focussed on.

A long, long moment passed as he allowed the sugar to melt slowly on his tongue.

Once the candy was gone and only the aftertaste was lingering, the silence in Four’s head remained.

He let out a long, slow breath, revelling in the peace.

 _I’m so sorry everyone_. He finally heard Red say. _Since we swapped last time, I think we got a little muddled together. I… feel a lot better now_.

 _Same here_. Blue said gruffly.

 _Me too_. Came Vio’s soft voice. _I’m not sure what happened, but it seems we’ve managed to separate out properly again_.

Green smiled _. I’m sorry too. Looks like you were right Vio, the switch must have muddled us together. At least we know what happened, we can try to make sure it doesn’t happen next time we switch to a different era._

There was a general chorus of agreement and he smiled slightly again. He took a deep breath in through his nose and stretched his arms over his head, he was still exhausted, but he felt _infinitely_ better and knew that he would be alright now that the colours had finally, _finally_ , settled.

He opened his eyes slowly to see Wild staring at him with concerned curiosity, still over the cooking pot. The smithy tensed when the scarred champion stood and began to make his way over.

Four was not ready to reveal anything to the other man, he was feeling exposed and vulnerable after days of infighting and didn't think he had the ability to deflect any potential questions with the skill he normally would.

His thoughts stuttered to a halt for the second time that day when Wild simply slipped him a whole _bag_ of candy with a kind smile.

‘I’m not going to ask, but you really seem to like the candy. It’s easy to make, so... just let me know when you need more, ok?’

Wordlessly, Four nodded, eyes wide and clutching the gift in tight hands, he had no idea what to say.

Lucky for him, Wild continued. ‘I’m pretty good at keeping secrets if you ever want to talk.’

The smithy shut his mouth with a snap and swallowed nervously, allowing himself a slight, uncertain, nod.

‘Time said that we’re probably going to stay here for tonight cause Legend dropped his pack and his stuff went everywhere, and we _all_ know how long that's going to take to sort out.’ Wild rolled his eyes and gave Four a little two-fingered salute, standing and taking off back to the cookpot.

With a grin, Four opened the bag and selected another piece of candy, leaning back against the tree with a sigh when he slid it into his mouth, eyes drifting closed again.

Knowing that, at the very least, the colours all agree they adore honey candy and can slip a piece into their mouth as a peace offering when they get tangled or begin to argue again is such a relief Green is almost giddy.

He made a mental note to do something nice for Wild to thank him for this gift.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Why is Four so loveable?
> 
> I. Love. Him.
> 
> If any of you have ever had a Werther's Original, that's kind of what I imagine Wild's honey candy tastes like. I know people say it's an old-person lolly/candy, but they're D E L I C I O U S.


	4. Late night snacks

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Time is missing Malon on his birthday.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I'm not sure about this series any more. It seems to be getting away from me a bit...

It had been a long, hard day. The group had been transported again, this time from Time’s Hyrule into Legend's. The group had looked around at the wide field they had landed in and had begun to make camp. This was a routine they had long since established. When they were transported into a new land, if they were more than a few hours walk from shelter, they would begin to set up somewhere safe for the night to plan their next move.

As was usually the case after changing Hyrules, Wild found himself jittery and unable to sleep. It affected all of them in different ways, but unlike Four, who was usually exhausted and disoriented mumbling to himself and the first to bed, or Twilight, who somehow ended up famished and acting a little drunk, or even Legend who became uncharacteristically clingy, Wild was usually on edge for _hours_ , jumping at every sound before crashing into a deep sleep.

Tonight he was distracting himself by working on something special. With a small smile, he added several bottles of milk to the recipe he was making, keeping an eye on the others to make sure no one was paying too much attention to his actions.

He wanted it to be a surprise after all.

Several days before, aware that they could shift worlds at any time, Malon had pulled Wild aside to ask him for a favour. It seemed the old man’s birthday was coming up and she had a special recipe that she cooked for him, every year, on his birthday. The _only_ day of the year she made it.

She’d asked Wild if they happened to switch before Time’s birthday, if Wild would make it for him so the tradition could be continued. The scarred hero had enthusiastically agreed.

Wild grinned softly at the memory and grated in some rock salt, just as Malon had instructed. She had also mentioned that Time did not like it when a big deal was made out of his birthday, a dark look had crossed her face when she had said this, something in her eyes telling the young man that there was much more to the story, but something else telling him it would be unwise to prod further, so Wild was doing what he could to keep it under wraps.

He added the final ingredients and put a lid on top of the pot to allow the flavours to steep. The Champion wasn’t entirely sure if the jitteriness he was feeling was entirely due to the aftereffect of their changing worlds, or the excitement of making his friend a secret present. He took several deep breaths in through his nose, Goddess, he despised those swirling portals.

Almost 20 minutes later, Wild tapped his wooden ladle on the side of the pan and grinned, satisfied. ‘Dinner’s ready.’ He called.

‘YES!’ Wind breathed, rushing up to the pot from nowhere. ‘I’m starving!’

Wild grinned and began to ladle out portions into the bowls he was being handed, keeping an eye on Time, who, as usual, was waiting to be the last one served.

‘What are we having?’ Hyrule asked curiously, looking into the pot. ‘Smells amazing.’ Wild smiled and made sure everyone had a bowl before answering.

‘It’s a special type of creamy vegetable stew made on milk from Time’s ranch.’

Time’s eye widened and his head shot up to look at their cook before looking back down into his bowl. He took a small, cautious, sip and his cheeks washed with pink when he realised it was Malon’s recipe.

Wild took several loaves of crusty bread from where they had been baking in the fire and began to pass them around to the delight of the others. Taking the last loaf, Wild tore it in half and walked over, handing it to Time personally, the others too distracted by their meals to pay any attention.

Time stared up at him eye still wide and Wild smiled kindly, handing him his half of the loaf and a small letter that Malon had entrusted to him. ‘Love from Malon.’ He said quietly, so only Time would hear. ‘Happy Birthday.’

Time, looking younger than Wild had ever seen him, seemed lost for words, he had simply nodded and taken the bread and letter with slightly shaking hands.

Wild grinned and turned back to the others, pressing his hands together in a light clap. ‘Oh! I made cookies too! Malon gave me a recipe for cinnamon butter cookies and I had all the ingredients so I thought, why not?’ He winked at Time who was looking astonished, the small note already sequestered into a hidden pocket for him to read later.

A small, genuine, smile made its way to the older man’s face as a cheer went around the group and Wild went back to his own spot between Four and Warriors.

He took a small sip of the soup and breathed out quietly, satisfied, it really _was_ delicious.

O o O o O

Much later that evening Time was sitting looking out over the Great Plateau, everyone sleeping surprisingly peacefully, except Warriors who was on the first watch on the other side of the camp and Wild who was still jittery and unable to sleep from the switch earlier that day.

The older man looked up when Wild slipped onto the grass next to him, handing him a small present wrapped in banana leaves.

Curious, Time untied the banana leaves and a little, homemade, _something_ rolled into his hand.

‘I’m not as good as Sky, but I wanted to have a go at making something.’ Wild muttered, head down and hair hiding his eyes but not the blush on his cheeks. His voice fell to a whisper. ‘I don’t know what it IS exactly, but it looks nice when you hold it up to the sun and the amber I used had a leaf inside it which is really rare.’

Time smiled gently, genuinely, and stared down at the trinket in his hand. It was a tiny thing that fit perfectly in the palm of his hand. It was made of amber and there was a small, bright green, three-pointed leaf suspended right in the centre. It felt strangely warm and comforting to the touch- more like a piece of wood than a gemstone.

The carving was obviously handmade, a little uneven, but its edges were smooth and it had a small groove carved in the front that perfectly fit the pad of his finger. Time found himself rubbing his thumb on it absently, meditatively. He could see himself holding it a lot when on watch to help focus himself.

It was a very calming object to hold.

His eye, softer than normal flicked towards the younger man who was blushing fiercely, eyes purposefully on the horizon, on the trees, _anywhere_ but on the older man sitting at his side.

Time felt his smile grow into a fond grin at the younger’s obvious awkwardness, at the realisation that this was probably the first present the young amnesiac could ever remember giving someone.

‘ _Thank_ you, Wild.’

‘There’s something else…’ Wild cleared his throat, bouncing his leg restlessly and held a basket out, arm shaking, eyes averted.

Time’s eyebrow raised. ‘For me?’

A nod.

Carefully, slowly. Time took the offered basket and sat it on his lap.

‘I-I noticed that you really like milk.’ Wild muttered, a bit breathless, flustered from the gift-giving and the residual jitteriness that had been following him all day. ‘… you avoid the heavy meat dishes. A-and...’ He began twisting his hands together, the bouncing in his leg intensifying. ‘And you seem to be missing Malon more tonight, so I made you a snack.’ Wild blushed furiously.

Curious, Time opened the basket and a delicious smell wafted out. Carefully he reached in and pulled out a dish of egg custard and another of honey-salted chickaloo nuts.

Speechless, he looked at the young man.

‘Y-you never have any real preference for dinner.’ Wild tried to explain. ‘You do a lot for everyone and never let anyone know what you want. The soup and letter were really from Malon. But… I … I wanted… to.’ He gestured at the basket, motion quick, head down in embarrassment, leg jogging up and down. ‘…Happy Birthday.’ He mumbled, fingers digging into the grass he was sitting on.

Time felt a small smile come to his face, his melancholy lifting slightly at the unexpected gift. He reached for a spoon and took a bite of the egg custard, it was not something he’d ever had before and he wasn’t expecting the creamy sweetness.

‘Mmm!’ he exclaimed quietly, one eyebrow raising in pleased surprise.

Wild smiled, eyes glinting strangely.

‘Y-you like it?’

Time nodded enthusiastically and swallowed the mouthful. ‘It’s delicious.’ He put another spoonful in his mouth, humming in pleasure at the sweet, milky flavour. He put the spoon down and reached for a chicaloo nut, they were still warm. He crunched into the nut and let out another sigh of delight, he had tried salted chicaloo nuts, but never honeyed before.

To think that the young man would make this, just for him. He felt his smile growing fond, the tight feeling in his chest that always accompanied the switches from his era and his wife, loosening.

‘Thank you.’ He said softly, popping another nut in his mouth.

Wild nodded, a small smile on his face as he looked out over the grassy plain in front of them.

A long, long moment passed, the moon was rising and they were now in the deepest part of the night. The bobbing of Wild’s leg was gradually slowing, and his shoulders were beginning to relax.

Knowing that the younger was finally starting to wind-down and his jitteriness was fading now that he had accomplished what he wanted to, Time stayed quiet, eating his unexpected treat in silence and looking out over the Hyrule in front of him. Waiting.

Time was unsurprised when he felt Wild’s head gently touch his upper arm. He looked down to see the younger’s eyelids flickering, his brow slightly furrowed as he fought to stay awake.

The Champion was always like this after switching. He experienced hours upon hours of over sensitisation and jitteriness that wore away at his stamina, before falling into a deep sleep when it finally wore off. The first time they’d switched, Wild had scared the others by completely crashing, the normally erratic sleeper falling into a deep sleep that lasted more than 16 straight hours. Hyrule had taken his pulse periodically, checking his vitals and trying to reassure the others that Wild was ok.

Although it had evened out a little now, Wild often still slept for up to 8 hours after the jitteriness faded, more than double what he normally needed.

‘It’s ok, you can rest Cub.’ Time breathed, pulling the younger man closer. Wild was now mostly asleep, brow still furrowed, but eyelids no longer fluttering. He placed a hand on Wild’s head and the other let out a sigh and gave in completely, melting into the other man as he faded out, knowing he was safe and someone would look out for him while he slept.

A tiny, genuine smile made its way onto Time’s face as he hugged his descendant close, his other hand fingering the letter from his wife in his pocket.

Even though he wasn’t with Malon, it was the best birthday he could remember having in a while.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Is this worth continuing? I'm not really sure where I'm going with it anymore.


	5. Salmon Meunière

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Legend is struggling with some pent-up emotions.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> So... this is the chapter in the series that I'm least sure about. When I started this, I wanted each one to be a little different. But... I'm not sure if this is tooooo different. 
> 
> I love Legend and I really don't know if this does him justice. I've read this chapter over a few times over the past few days and I still don't know what I think of it. 
> 
> I just wanted to say thanks so much to everyone for the sweet comments and nice thoughts after the question in my post yesterday. There are a few characters (Legend included) I'd eventually like to write second chapters for, so knowing that people are actually interested in reading this makes me think it would be worth it.

‘Sweet HYLIA. Would you stop for two. _Fucking_. Minutes?! The constant _noise_ is giving me a migraine!’

The group froze, Warriors and Wind, who had been noisily play wrestling while the others watched, sprung apart and stared. Legend was standing eyes clenched and panting from his outburst.

It was normal for the Veteran to vent his ire and have several outbursts a day, what _wasn’t_ normal was the desperate near-fury behind his tone, and the hands over his ears that clearly suggested that, for once, he wasn’t being sarcastic.

‘S-sorry…’ Wind whispered, tense and uncertain. His eyes darted around the campsite to see everyone staring at Legend in startled concern.

Legend’s eyes opened slowly after a few seconds of silence, hands hesitantly leaving his ears. His whole body was tense, rigid and shaking very slightly.

He paled and licked his lips when he realised everyone was staring. His eyes flicked to Wind who looked like he was close to tears, and for a moment his expression softened, turned guilty, he opened his mouth looking as if he was going to say something. But when he looked down at his hands and realised how much he was shaking, his eyes widened and he closed his mouth with a snap, balling his hands into fists and crossing his arms against his chest to hide them.

Without a backwards glance, he turned and strode away from the group and up the suspension bridges that made up Rito village.

There was a beat of stunned silence and then Wild sighed.

‘I’ll get him.’ He mumbled. ‘He’s heading towards the flight range. It gets _really_ cold up there.’

Time nodded seriously and the others exchanged uncomfortable glances. The look on Legend’s face before he’d strode off was definitely out of character and had them all worried for his well-being. 

‘J-just make sure he’s ok.’ Hyrule said softly, rubbing his hand through Wind’s hair to soothe him. The young pirate was looking at where Legend had disappeared concern knotting his brow.

Four nodded, knee against his chest and eyes somehow reflecting purple from the sky. ‘Yeah, something’s up for sure.’

Wild nodded and then turned to follow his friend up the mountain.

O o O o O

As expected, Legend was sitting on the flight range, legs dangling over the edge and unseeing eyes staring out into the cavern. He was already shivering slightly but didn’t seem to notice and Wild frowned at the tension visible in his shoulders.

‘Legend?’ He said quietly. Announcing his presence. ‘Everything ok?’

Legend let out a small huff of sardonic laughter but didn't answer and Wild nodded to himself.

That would be a no, then.

The long-haired young man gave a shiver and rubbed his hands together.

‘It's getting cold, I’m just going to start a fire.’

No answer. Not even a sarcastic comment about his pyromaniac tendencies.

Shooting a concerned look over his shoulder, Wild sparked a rusty broadsword and lit a small pile of firewood, holding his hands over the flames to warm them. The sudden, homely crackle of the small fire filled the silence and after a long, long moment, Legend gave another sigh, self-deprecating this time, and shifted so he was closer to the flames. Breath coming out as puffs of vapour and his body shivering more violently at the sudden difference in temperature.

The normally stoic Veteran sat with his shoulders hunched and his hands outstretched to the warmth, head down and hair flopping over his eyes. He looked _miserable_ and Wild made a sudden decision, reaching for his slate.

‘Are you hungry?’ He asked softly.

Legend blinked, and finally looked at him, wary and confused at the unexpected question.

Wild paused and looked over the flames at his friend, eyes searching his face and then nodded decisively.

‘Of course you are, you’ve barely eaten today.’ He began to throw various ingredients into the pot he had placed over the fire but Legend continued to stare, expression turning snarky.

‘Did you draw the short-straw, Wild?’ He hissed, suddenly, unexpectedly, _furious_. ‘Is that why you're here?’

Wild didn’t even flinch, he simply looked up from the pot he was stirring and gave a small smile.

‘Nope.’ he grated some rock salt into his pot. ‘I _wanted_ to come. So did the others, but I told them how cold it can get up here.’ The long-haired man looked around at their surroundings and the breathtaking view. He shrugged one shoulder flippantly. ‘Can’t deny it’s pretty though.’ He concluded, keeping his eyes away from the seething Vet.

Legend’s confused expression grew, warring with self-loathing and anger. He took a deep breath and ran his hands through his hair, trying to calm himself.

He allowed himself a brittle smirk. ‘I find it hard to believe you’re here of your own free-will.’

Wild gently tapped his wooden ladle on the side of the pot and then rested it across the top of whatever he was making.

Intense, electric-blue eyes, focussed all of their attention on Legend.

‘Why?’ he asked simply.

Legend’s eyes grew wider and he shook his head as if the answer was obvious. ‘Don’t think I don’t see it, Wild. I’m the pessimist of the group. Always snipping and sniping at the others.’ He paused, voice dropping. ’The outsider.’

Wild frowned and leaned forwards. ‘That is NOT true.’ Legend gave another self-deprecating snort and Wild shook his head, eyes intense, suddenly desperate to make the other understand.

He _knew_ this mood, had experienced it himself. It rose up in increments, it was insidious, going unnoticed until all of a sudden it peaked and crashed over him in a wave, unable to be ignored any longer.

It brought old battles too close to the front of his mind, loud noises and shouting resulted in anxiousness and paranoia. It over sensitised his body making his breath come faster, his heart beat quicker and his mind catastrophize all of the tiny decisions he could ever remember making until he began to question everything that made him _him_.

He had suspected that Legend also experienced this, had thought that it would be impossible for him _not_ to in one form or another after all of his adventures, but had never been sure before.

Not until now.

Now with the sorrow, guilt and frustration etched on his face, Legend was positively _screaming_ for help, and now that Wild knew what to look for, the signs had been there for a while. 

‘ _Legend_.’ The other looked up, smirk slipping off his face at the Champion’s uncharacteristically serious expression. ‘That. isn’t _. true_.’

Wild held up a hand to stop the older from speaking. ‘For someone so smart you can be pretty stupid.’ Wild said bluntly.

Legend flushed and began to splutter indignantly, but Wild simply held up his hand again, expression firm until Legend eventually fell silent with a frustrated huff. When he was sure he had Legend’s attention he turned his focus back the pot and began dishing up his concoction.

‘Sure, sometimes when you’re overwhelmed you get angrier than you probably should.’ Wild admitted. ‘But you’re not the only one.’ He shrugged his shoulder.

‘I can barely keep my head on straight sometimes, and when someone orders me to do something, I almost always need to do the opposite even though I _know_ it’s stupid. Wind gets bouts of nervous energy he can’t contain, if Warriors didn’t wrestle with him when that happens, I think he’d just scream and scream. Sky gets a bit weepy, I noticed that he doesn’t sleep through the night as often as we think. He stays awake and just stares into space.’

Wild shook his head, a sudden breeze moving his long blonde hair across the scars that lined his face. ‘We have all been through some crazy shit and we all have our own ways of showing it.’

Legend blinked at the unexpected swear word from the cook and numbly took the plate that was passed to him.

‘We _get_ it.’

Wild took his own plate and flopped down on the ground, across the fire from Legend and told him what Twilight had last told him when he was feeling guilty about the Calamity. ‘We _worry_ about you, we _like_ you and we _want_ you around.’

Wild took a bite of the food from his plate and gave a small, wolfish grin. ‘Besides, you’re the _only_ one in the whole group who appreciates it when I make food like this.’

Legend looked down at his plate and blinked.

Salmon Meunière

His favourite.

He frowned and looked up at Wild who was smiling.

‘I noticed when I made this once for everyone that you really seemed to enjoy it.’ Wild admitted. ‘The others, _savages_ that they are, didn’t really understand it.’ He shrugged and rolled his eyes. ‘I mean, they _ate_ it, of course they did, but they didn’t really _get_ it.’

Wild watched as Legend took a small bite, the Veteran’s dark expression lifted and then he filled his fork with a larger bite, still chewing the first, being careful to get both a piece of fish and a piece of vegetable.

The scarred young man nodded.

‘Exactly.’ He said as if he was proven right. ‘ _You_ are like a Salmon Meunière, Legend. The others are more like a…’ he paused, waving his fork in the air, trying to find the right words. ‘…prime meat stew.’

Legend let out a huff of surprised laughter despite himself and Wild grinned at the change.

‘What the fuck are you talking about?’ a hint of dark amusement softened his words, he sounded less frazzled, more like his normal self, the guilty expression fading into a more familiar snarky curiosity at the unexpected comparison.

Wild paused, not really sure what he meant himself, looked down at his plate before continuing.

‘The sauce in a Salmon Meunière is subtle but creamy and fresh. The steamed vegetables are full of their own flavour and texture without overpowering the fish. The salmon has a crispy skin, but the meat itself is flaky and falls apart. The vegetables are cooked so that they’re only _just_ tender, soft but crisp.’

He looked up and laughed slightly at Legend’s incredulous look and raised eyebrow.

‘There’s a lot going on but you have to know how to look for it. It’s contradictory, it doesn’t really make sense, but somehow it _works_.’

‘ _You_ don’t often tell us what you’re feeling, you’re more complicated than that, more contradictory. You have a lot going on under the surface that we’re not always looking for but somehow you make it all _work_.’

He stirred his fork around in the sauce, watching the pattern the prongs made. ‘Most of the group have signs that are more obvious, so when you feel overwhelmed and need help at the same time someone else does, your delicate, subtle, Salmon Meunière sauce is overpowered by their rich prime meat stew gravy and we miss what you’re trying to say.’

He looked up to see that both of Legend’s eyebrows were raised now. He was looking at Wild as if he’d lost his mind, loaded fork halfway to his mouth.

‘But that’s on us. We need to learn to read your subtle sauce signs more clearly. I’m sorry if we’ve given you the impression we don’t care.’

Apparently finished, Wild nodded and continued to eat as if what he had just said made perfect sense.

Legend just stared at him for a long moment, before breaking into a bark of startled laughter.

‘My ‘ _subtle sauce signs’_?’ What the actual fuck? You’re a goddess-damned _weirdo,_ Wild.’

Wild grinned and nodded, apparently completely comfortable with Legend’s assessment.

Legend looked down at his half-eaten plate of food, mind whirring and trying to make sense of the cook’s weird comparison.

Salmon Meunière really _was_ delicious, and Wild was right, he liked it because you could taste every ingredient, every bite was different but the delicate citrus in the sauce still let the fish and vegetables shine through.

If he was asked to choose if he preferred the vegetables or the fish, he wouldn’t be able to, because they were best _together._ That was part of the contradictory nature of the meal, how the strange combination of textures and flavours just somehow worked.

He _supposed_ it was just like how he could be mercurial when he was feeling out of sorts. When even he couldn’t keep track of his own shifting moods but how he usually managed to hide them all behind a layer of snark or impatience. And it _worked…_ until he couldn’t hold the feelings back any more and they overflowed.

…like when he found himself overwhelmed at loud sounds and started snapping at people before he even realised what he was doing and then became wracked with guilt for his flare-up… which in turn made him irritable and angry…

He looked up to see Wild smiling at him and found his lips tugging up into a small, genuine smile of their own.

‘Alright, _alright_. I get it. But you’re still a fucking _loony_.’ He bit aggressively into a spear of asparagus, snarky expression firmly back in place and eyes averted, a light blush staining his cheeks.

Wild laughed. ‘We should do this more often.’ He put his plate to one side.

‘I love Salmon Meunière too, but it’s absolutely _wasted_ on the others. Do you know, when I made this for everyone, both Twilight _and_ Warriors came to me later to say they were still hungry?’

The Champion shook his head in dismay and watched Legend carefully clean his plate. His expression softened slightly, turned fond. ‘It’s one of the more sentimental recipes I picked up on my journey. It’s nice to see someone actually _appreciate_ it.’

‘Well.’ Legend began, he seemed a lot better now that he had a hot meal in his stomach. ‘You are what you eat, right? And apparently, I’m a fucking _salmon meunière_.’ He looked irritated as if he couldn’t believe those words had just left his mouth and ran a hand down his face.

Wild let out a surprised laugh and Legend snorted in response, his familiar sarcastic smirk tilting one corner of his mouth up.

A comfortable silence fell over the duo and they sat together staring out over the mountains, watching the sun set behind the Hebra mountains.

‘Come on.’ Wild sighed, finally, ‘Let’s get back to the others. They were pretty worried about you and we’ve been gone for a while, it’s going to get really cold up here soon.’ He stood, holding out a hand to Legend who, surprisingly, took it.

Legend’s expression closed off again in slight nervousness about facing the others after his outburst and Wild sent him a smile.

‘If you’re ever in need of a break or things are getting too overwhelming and none of us are understanding your subtle sauce signs, just come and yell ‘Salmon Meunière’ at me and we’ll sneak off from Team Prime Meat Gravy for a bit.’

Turning his face away so Wild wouldn’t see his blush, Legend rubbed the back of his head.

‘Urgh. Promise me when we get back to the others you’ll stop talking about 'sauce signs' and 'gravy' and you have a deal. I don’t know about you, you crazy bastard, but I don’t want to be committed to a fucking _asylum_.’

Wild’s delighted answering laugh bounced off the rocks in the flight range canyon.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> ...I had to have grilled fish and veggies for dinner after writing this...


	6. Wildberry crepes

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Some days Warriors has trouble getting out of bed.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> You guys, I've gotta come clean. 
> 
> ... I don't really understand Wars as a character.
> 
> He's a knight. Sweet, I can do something with that maybe, but Sky and Wild are knights too. 
> 
> He's a strategist. Cool...cool... yep. 
> 
> I mean...he... wears a scarf? So... I guess he feels the cold more than the others? *shrugs* FINE, I'll go with that.

‘Get up.’ The tone was final.

It was the third time that phrase had been spoken in as many minutes and Warriors still hadn’t moved. He burrowed further into his blankets, hiding from the irate Legend who had been sent over to wake him.

A light kick hit his arm and the Captain grimaced pulling it tighter against himself. He refused to open his eyes.

‘ _Warriors_.’ Legend growled. ‘Get. Up. Even _Sky_ is awake.’

He groaned, forcing his eyes to open and finally managed to sit up in his bedroll. Legend stood next to him, hands on his hips and snarky frown firmly in place.

‘’m up.’ Warriors slurred, shoulders slumped, he shivered when the frigid air he had been avoiding bit at his skin.

Legend paused, biting back on the sarcastic response before it could leave his lips and blinked, observant eyes raked over the Captain for a moment before narrowing in something like concern at what he saw.

‘Wild’s making breakfast.’ He advised, tone curiously expressionless. ‘The Old Man wanted to make an earlier than normal start this morning to get to the mountains before nightfall. It can get really cold up there.’

‘ _Joy_.’ Warriors breathed, pulling his scarf closer, eyes still half-closed and refusing to open any further.

Legend nodded, uncertain and then spun, stalking back towards the others. ‘He’s up! You owe me one, Rancher.’

Warriors grimaced and gave another shiver trying to pull himself together before the others noticed.

Growing up, he had always been the first to feel the cold, it was one of the reasons why he always wore his scarf even in weather others considered warm. If the air had the slightest chill, he would feel it. And then, very rarely, in especially cold weather, getting out of bed was next to impossible. On these days he woke feeling hazy, sluggish and slow.

None of which were ideal traits for a knight in charge of others on a battlefield. 

If he was very lucky and the cold hadn't taken complete control during the night, he was able to just throw on his scarf, add an extra layer or two, and go about his day. The act of simply _moving_ managing to shake him free of whatever held onto him.

Other days, however, were _much_ more of a struggle and, until his body warmed up, he was practically useless, walking about as if in a daze, his mind never managing to fully shake off its dreamlike state.

His Zelda and Impa could tell from one look of his face when he was especially struggling. He'd been told, it was his eyes that gave him away. Where normally they were razor-sharp and focussed, on these days they were instead dreamlike and clouded.

His friends took it in their stride, accepting that even Farore's chosen Hero would have a weakness. On the days where there were no battles to be fought, they encouraged him to forego his training and simply go back to bed, aware that the occasional day off would not affect his knights' training.

Already, from the frozen dew on the grass and the way his breath was misting, he could tell today was going to be a rough day. The first such day he had experienced since the Links had been thrown together by Hylia as a group.

He put his head in his hands and sighed, a show of vulnerability he would not normally make around others. 

He turned his head when he heard a sizzle and inhaled through his nose, only now awake enough to be aware of the warm, sweet smell wafting through the clearing.

Wild was seated at the cooking pot, Wind, Sky and strangely enough, Time standing next to him, observing whatever their crazy cook was concocting, the others were scattered around the clearing either eating or already done.

Warriors sniffed delicately, whatever he was making wasn’t something the scarred young man had made during their brief time together, but the smell was making his mouth _water_.

He groaned internally, knowing that he had to get up, but not sure he was capable of it.

He ran a hand down his face, looking at the end of his bedroll towards his pack and trying to strategise how he could reach it without exposing his lower body to the chill of the morning air. But it was no use, his normally spitfire brain had slowed to a crawl and he felt his eyes glaze over. 

He must have spaced out again because as he was staring, a hand appeared and grabbed his bag making him blink. He looked up to see Wild grinning at him, holding out his pack which Warriors took gratefully.

‘Breakfast is ready.’ Wild announced.

‘Thanks, Wild.’ He said dully. Another shiver ran down his spine.

Wild frowned, and put his hands on his hips, giving him an eerily similar look to the one Legend had given him earlier. ‘Everything ok?’

Warriors nodded and began pulling on an extra tunic as protection against the icy wind. He grimaced unconsciously, knowing that the closer they got to the mountain, the worse it was going to get.

‘Yeah, I’m fine.’ He sighed.

A beat of silence had him looking up to see Wild looking him over, expression still uncharacteristically sharp.

‘Wait here a second.’ He said softly, turning and padding away.

Confused, but happy to have the excuse to sit in his warm bedroll for a few more moments, Warriors waited, rummaging through his pack for the extra pair of socks he knew was in there _somewhere_.

‘Here.’ He looked up surprised, to see Wild had returned, annoyed that he hadn't heard him approach.

He growled at his own inattention, he was _not_ doing well today if someone, even someone as light on their feet as the Champion, had managed to get so close to him without him realising.

Wild was holding out a strange headdress.

Curious. Warriors took it, turning it over in his hands.

‘It’s nice.’ He said doubtfully. He gently touched the feathers and rubies that encrusted it with his fingers. Mind cloudy, he reached up to hand it back, but Wild rolled his eyes.

‘Put it on, Wars.’

Bemused, Warriors put the headdress on his head and then gave a low sigh of relief, eyes slipping closed at the sudden warmth that radiated down his body.

‘Ahhh…’ he breathed.

Wild laughed. ‘Better?’

Warriors opened his eyes with a genuine smile, already feeling more alert. ‘ _So_ much better. What is this?’ he asked, touching the item carefully.

‘Snowquill headdress.’ Wild said shortly. ‘The Rito in my Hyrule make them. You can keep that one, I have a spare.’

‘Wild. _Thank you_.’ Warriors said with a grateful grin. Cautiously he stood, noticing that the headdress was somehow turning the icy wind into more of a warm breeze. He sighed in satisfaction.

‘I have another surprise for you.’ Wild grinned, he gestured for Warriors to follow him. ‘I noticed that you seem to really like sweet things.’

Warriors felt himself blush and a hand automatically went up to the back of his head, rubbing the hair in embarrassment

Wild bent over near the fire to pick something up, and when he turned around again, he saw what Wild had been making that had had his mouth watering. The young man was holding out a plate stacked high with wildberry crepes drizzled with honey.

He'd had crepes once before in his Hyrule, but they had been strangely expensive. When he'd asked why the vendor had told him that they were difficult and time consuming to make.

‘Y-you made this… for me?’

Wild nodded, and lowered his voice. ‘Well, I made them for everyone this morning, but I was inspired to make them because of how excited _you_ were about the fruit cake the other day. Why didn't you say how much you love sweet things?’

Warriors’ blush deepened, but a self-deprecating smile made its way onto his face, he thought he’d been subtle about his enthusiasm for the delicious cake, but apparently, the cook had noticed.

For Wild to have made enough to feed all nine of them, he must have been at it for hours. Warriors swallowed, strangely touched at the gesture. 

The Champion grinned when he took the plate but kept his voice low. ‘Don't tell Wind and Four but I added an extra swirl of honey to yours, the jar is there if you want to add some more.’

With a sudden, child-like, enthusiasm, Warriors reached for the jar, and added a generous dollop of honey to the side of the plate, he paused for a moment, eyes flicking to Wild, and then with a grin added another. The cook rolled his eyes good-naturedly and reached for his slate, pulling an extra handful of juicy wildberries out and dropping them on the Captain’s plate, his smile growing when the warrior laughed in delight.

‘I’ll make this again until we run out of wildberries.’ He said softly, so only Warriors could hear him. ‘At least while we’re in the mountains, it should help you get up a little easier knowing there’s something warm to start the day. I’ve added a little chilli to the honey too, you won't be able to tase it but it has properties that will help keep everyone warm.’

Warriors nodded his thanks and took his plate to the log next to the fire where Legend was sitting. The Veteran, who was just finishing his own plate of crepes, did a double-take at the amount of honey and wildberries piled on Warriors’ plate.

‘Hungry?’ he asked with a sarcastic grin. He looked up, eyes again raking over the taller man.

‘You’re looking better.’ He said airily. 

Warriors cast a glance over at Wild who smiled back at him. The first bite of crepe was beyond delicious and warmed him to the bone. The last of the morning’s fogginess faded and he nodded thoughtfully.

‘Just had a bit of trouble waking up today is all.’ He said with a smile. Legend nodded slowly, eyes drifting from the headdress he was wearing to the Cook and back to Warriors’ face, obviously connecting the dots.

‘Wild is… pretty perceptive sometimes.’ Warriors observed suddenly. ‘I’m not sure we give him enough credit for that. Not much gets past him, especially in his 'kitchen'.’

Legend let out a huff of a laugh and nodded slightly in agreement as he bent over to put his now empty plate on the ground. His own watchful eyes found the cook who appeared to be focussed on his own breakfast, the last of the nine to eat while the others bustled about breaking down the camp.

Warriors took another bite of his breakfast and shuddered when the warmth suffused through his body. ‘Is it just me, or is this _especially_ delicious?’

He could practically feel Legend roll his eyes next to him as he forked another loaded bite into his mouth, chewing happily.

There were two things about himself that Warriors didn't often share with others. One was that he sometimes had trouble getting up in the morning, and the second was that the Captain of Hyrule’s royal guard had a _serious_ sweet tooth.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I was never going to be very happy with Wars' chapter, poor boy, I never seem to know what to do with him.
> 
> Only Twi, Wind and Wild to go... guess I should probably make a start on Wild's chapter about now... I had an idea, wrote half a draft, abandoned it to finish another time and then started something completely different. 
> 
> Sometimes it do be like that.


	7. Warm milk

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Wind wakes up feeling tense and anxious in the middle of the night, Wild is there to help.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> This one is so fluffy it's practically a cotton ball...
> 
> I apologise for nothing. 
> 
> N O T H I N G.

Wind.

Couldn’t.

 _Sleep_.

Despite the chill in the air, he had woken suddenly from a deep sleep with a gasp, dreams he couldn’t remember, but which triggered strong feelings of paranoia and unease, disappeared before he could get any real impression of what they’d been about.

His body felt hot and his skin prickled leaving him uncomfortable and _frustrated_.

He looked at the fire to see Wild, sitting alone, obviously on watch. The Champion was fiddling with his slate and a quick look around the camp showed that everyone, even Time and Warriors who were rarely both asleep at the same time, was fast asleep.

The unexplainable feeling of impending danger that had woken him was so _strong_. Couldn't Wild feel it? He looked over again at the scarred young man to see him now staring off into the forest, slate held loosely in his hand, shoulders relaxed and forearms on his knees, obviously not seeing anything out of the ordinary.

Several minutes slowly ticked by until finally, unnerved, Wind sat up with a shuddering sigh. His blanket fell from his shoulders to pool in his lap and he put his face in his hands, keyed up and anxious, he concentrated on his breathing for a long moment.

In slowly through his nose.

Hold it.

Then out just as slowly through his mouth.

Just how Four taught him.

A low whistle caught his attention and he turned to see Wild, face glowing slightly with from the fire, looking at him in concern. He gave a thumbs-up, but his expression was questioning, clearly asking if Wind was ok. 

Suddenly not wanting to be alone and needing to see if there was a reason why Wild was unaffected by whatever was causing his own uneasiness. The pirate carefully stood and quietly made his way over to the fire. He sank onto the log next to Wild but found that the light from the fire destroyed his night vision, making the shadows from the trees surrounding them seem even more ominous, he shuddered.

His skin prickled and the hair on his arms was standing up. He felt like he was being watched and that something was waiting just beyond the tree line, even though he knew that nothing truly dangerous would have escaped the Champion’s watch.

He slumped forwards, shoulders hunched and forearms on his knees.

‘You ok?’ Wild asked softly, concern bleeding through his voice at the pirate’s unusual behaviour.

Wind nodded, even though he _really_ wasn’t. ‘…can’t sleep.’ He mumbled.

Wild’s eyes lingered on his slumped form for a long moment before he hummed and reached for his slate. He flicked through his inventory, efficiently pulling out several ingredients.

‘How about a warm drink?’

Wind nodded listlessly, not raising his head, the feeling of being watched was making him fidget and he visibly flinched when a log in the fireplace cracked.

He felt lightheaded, probably from the lack of sleep, and restless but without energy.

Goddess, why was he so _tired_?

He started when he felt a sudden, cool hand on his forehead.

With a gasp, he leaned back quickly from the unexpected touch, and for a moment the world spun strangely around him.

‘Sorry.’ Wild said softly, frowning. ‘…you have a fever. A really high one.’

Wind blinked in surprise and put a hand up to his own forehead.

‘I do?’ Well, that would certainly explain a few things, the key point being why he felt so _shitty._

Wild nodded, biting his lip. He looked unsure for a moment before he seemed to come to a realisation and quickly retrieved a chilly elixir from his slate.

‘Here.’ He said softly, keeping his voice low so they didn’t wake the others. He handed the vial to the younger boy. ‘Drink this. The elixir should help, it will take a few minutes to start working though.’

He watched as Wind carefully drained the tonic and then took the empty vial back, shoving it into his slate with barely a glance, to clean later, eyes entirely focussed on the pirate.

‘Other than being a bit dizzy, and _way_ too hot, are you feeling ok?’

Unbidden and without warning, taking both of them by surprise, tears filled Wind’s eyes and began to roll down his cheeks at the question. Wild made a noise of distress and reached out, pulling the young man into a gentle hug.

‘ _Wind_ …’ he said softly. ‘What’s _wrong_?’

Wind clenched his eyes shut, and gritted his teeth, trying to stop the tears but failing. His hand came up to fist the front of Wild’s tunic and he hiccupped. Struggling with all his might to hold in whatever emotion was trying to escape.

He was _scared_ , still sure that something was watching from the shadows, the flickering light from the fire and swirling of the light breeze rustling the leaves around them only making it worse.

He clung on tight needing physical comfort in a way he hadn’t since he was very, very young.

A warm hand came up to rub circles on his back and he relaxed very slightly.

‘I’m just…’ he stopped to suck in a breath, overwhelmed. He was feeling so many emotions, how could he let Wild know what was wrong when even _he_ didn’t understand. The tears rolled down his cheeks and off his chin steadily. He tried to breathe again, but only managed a shallow gasp, his chest hitching.

‘I’m…so _tired_.’

He _knew_ this was the fever talking. That usually, he was steadier than this and that even when he was feeling wrung-out or emotional, he normally reacted with anger rather than tears when afraid. But at this moment, away from his family and his home, apparently sick and close to hallucinating from fever, Wind was sure he would never feel safe again.

With a hitching, shuddering breath, he gripped Wild tighter, hiding his face in the other’s shoulder, away from the shadows. His breathing easing slightly when he felt the older hero grip back.

Wild gave a weary sigh of his own, rubbing a hand gently through Wind’s hair and wincing at the other’s unnatural heat. Somehow understanding everything Wind wasn’t able to say.

They sat that way for a long, long moment. Wild rubbing circles on the younger’s back, while Wind tried to slow his tears and even his breathing.

Finally, Wind’s tears stopped and his breathing became easier. He could feel the elixir gradually work its way through his system. The shadows no longer seemed as threatening, he could feel himself beginning to calm down.

Wild pulled back slightly and dipped a cup into the now gently simmering milk.

‘Here.’ He said softly, pressing it into Wind’s unresisting hands. ‘Drink this, it’ll help.’

The younger nodded and sat back, the warm mug clenched between his hands. He sipped and gave a shiver at the sudden warmth that spread through his body. Wild had added a little sugar and some ground chickaloo nuts to the milk, making it sweet and comforting.

It was delicious.

He gave a low hum and took another sip, eyes half-lidded and cheeks flushed.

He felt _horrible_. It was obvious, now that that the fever had eased, that he was sick. His skin felt burning hot, but his insides felt chilled. Small tremors wracked his body and his entire body _ached._ The dizziness from before had faded but hadn't abated entirely, making the edges of his vision warp slightly when he moved his head.

He took another sip of his milk.

A warm weight surrounded him and he looked up, surprised, to see Wild had draped his cloak around his shoulders, blocking out his peripheral vision of the flickering shadows of the forest, and cocooning him in warmth and darkness. He instantly felt a little safer. Wind gripped the material in one hand, the cup of milk in the other, appreciating the gesture more than he knew how to admit.

Wild did not really know how to speak his feelings. His Hyrule was a wasteland with very few inhabitants, so the young man had not had many opportunities to speak to others before joining the group.

They’d found that because of this, Wild tended to show his feeling with gestures and actions, rather than words. While the older boy didn’t really know what to say in the way that Sky would, his physical presence and actions told Wind just how _much_ he cared and wanted to help.

The young pirate leaned into Wild’s side with a sigh and felt Wild’s hand on his forehead again. A gentle sigh of relief.

‘It’s a lot lower already. You should feel much better by the time you’re done with your milk.’

Wind took another long drink of his milk and sighed in satisfaction. He truly did feel better already, his headache was fading and the aches in his body were muted. His head felt like it was stuffed full of cotton and he could feel his body relaxing.

He no longer felt hot, and frustrated and exhausted.

All apparently symptoms of the illness he hadn’t even known he had.

But he _was_ tired. He drained the cup and reached out his arm, to wind it around Wild’s waist, pulling the champion into another hug. Less desperate and more appreciative this time.

‘Thanks, Wild.’ He breathed, eyes closed.

Wild hummed in his chest and rubbed Wind’s back again in that same comforting gesture.

The fire crackled and Wind finally sat back with a sigh, rubbing his suddenly gritty eyes.

‘Time for bed?’ Wild asked with a huff of a laugh. He looked up at the position of the moon and stood. ‘My shift is about done anyway, come on. I’ll wake Legend and we can go and lay down.’

Wind moved back to his bedroll while Wild gently woke up the Veteran who stood with a yawn.

‘I made some warm milk.’ Wild breathed to the older man. ‘It’s on the fire if you want some.’

Legend nodded, even half-asleep his intelligent and curious eyes shifted to Wind, narrowing in sudden concern when he saw the tear tracks on the young man’s face. He unconsciously mirrored Wild’s ‘are you ok’ gesture from earlier, but this time Wind returned it with a small smile and a nod.

Satisfied, Legend moved towards the fire, swinging a cloak around his shoulders to ward off the chill as he went. He sat with a huff of exhaled breath and wasted no time dipping a mug into the milk.

Wild slid his bed roll closer to Wind and settled next to him, his hand out and wrapped around the younger’s forearm in a comforting gesture, but not wanting to get into Wind’s space if the still vulnerable younger man didn't want him to.

Wind, huffed and shifted, winding his arms again around the Champion’s waist and pulling him back into a full hug, happy to allow himself the extra comfort just this once.

Wild stiffened in surprise for a moment before relaxing, tucking Wind’s head under his chin with a small laugh, gently wrapping his own arms around him.

Wind heard Legend’s amused snort from the fire and grinned himself, closing his eyes and finally allowing himself to relax, the sounds of the cracking fire, and the wind in the leaves sounded friendly now, relaxing rather than ominous.

Although he might still need another dose or two of Wild’s chilly elixir in the morning, he was feeling _so_ much better. He inhaled slowly through his nose revelling in the feeling of safety.

He heard Wild’s breathing even out and realised with a jolt of surprise that the Champion, who was notorious as being the worst sleeper among them, who always had so much trouble falling, and staying, asleep, had _already_ faded out.

His eyes flew open to meet the equally surprised eyes of Legend, who was watching from the fire, mug of warm, spiced milk halfway to his mouth.

The Veteran, knowing that no one else was awake to see the gesture, and comfortable in the knowledge that the young pirate knew he would _deny_ it until the day he died, gave Wind a very rare, soft smile and held a finger up to his lips, obviously telling him not to move in case he woke Wild.

Smiling to himself, Wind nestled in, closing his own eyes and copying Wild’s breathing, following him into sleep only a few minutes later.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Alright, I've mostly written Twi's chapter and it will probably be up tomorrow. 
> 
> Wild's might take an extra few days though, I'm in the middle of my end of semester assessments at uni and systems physiology is not being kind to me...


	8. Gourmet meat and rice bowl

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Twilight's never realised how much of Wolfie is left in him when he's in Hylian form.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Hmmm... so... we don't really ever see vulnerable Twilight. He's one of the more mature Links and as Wild's mentor, he often seems to be the one offering advice etc. BUT, he's still pretty young and must have some hang-ups.
> 
> We also saw in Jojo's comic that when changing into animal form it leaves some marks on a person (the marks on his face, Legend's pink hair) so I imagine it probably leaves something deeper as well. Especially with how much time Twilight actually spends as Wolfie.

Wild had noticed that, sometimes, after a battle or a particularly difficult hike, Twilight tended to look pale and shaky when they stopped to make camp.

While normally it went away fairly quickly, over the past week it had only gotten worse and worse. His pallor was noticeable now and he often seemed out of breath and shaky.

Concerned, Wild had finally cornered him. The elder sitting next to the fire at one of the stables that dotted Wild’s Hyrule, shoulders slumped and looking uneasy and a little nauseous

‘Are you ok?’ He asked quietly. ‘You don't look very well.’

Twilight just shrugged.

‘I’m sure I’m fine.’ He’d said tiredly. ‘It happens sometimes, but I don’t know why. Eventually, it just goes away, but I haven’t been able to figure out what causes it yet.’

He saw Wild’s distressed look and smiled, laughing slightly. He pulled Wild into a brief one-armed hug, squeezing gently for a moment before releasing him.

‘Don’t look so worried, I’m _fine_ , Cub. I just feel more tired than usual is all. It will go away in no time, it always does.’

Wild nodded and sat next to him. Absently, he began looking through his inventory, trying to think about which foods he could make that would give his friend more energy. Various recipes flitting through his mind at each ingredient. Stamella bass and shrooms were in season… his slate was also full to bursting with apples and acorns. He still had a decent amount of fish as well as plenty of cucoo eggs.

Deep in thought, he looked up from his slate and across the yard towards the front of the stable as he considered the options, eyes glazed and biting his bottom lip.

Wild tended to cook seasonally. If there was a glut of fish or apples, that was what he tended to cook for the group. He’d found on his travels that the food that was _growing_ in that season was also what he normally needed to eat to keep his body _healthy_ in that season.

He knew that the Vitamin C in the pumpkins and carrots that grew in the winter protected him from catching colds and the hydromelons and voltfruit in the desert kept him from becoming dehydrated. Food in season also tended to taste better, and, as he tried to only use the best quality ingredients, it made sense to him to use what was around.

His eyes drifted to the side when he saw Tasseren throw a small piece of meat to one of the stable dogs who jumped on it, devouring it in moments. It began to sniff around, searching for more, tail wagging slightly and Wild felt himself stiffen and pale suddenly as the realisation hit him _hard_.

He looked at Twilight in horror, who had not yet realised Wild’s dilemma, the Champion’s mind whirling.

They hadn’t had red meat in almost two _weeks_.

Twilight was Hylian, but he was also a _wolf_.

He began to swipe rapidly through his inventory. The closest thing he had was poultry, which wouldn’t do.

He stood abruptly, finally catching Twilight’s attention, the Rancher frowned at Wild’s sudden change in attitude.

‘Cub?’ He asked, cautious. ‘You ok?’

Wild nodded, eyes glimmering, breathing fast.

Twilight’s confused frown deepened.

‘I…I just have to go and do something. I’ll be right back.’ Without another word, Wild tapped his slate several times and then teleported away, leaving a bewildered Twilight staring at his after image.

With a long-suffering sigh, Twilight hauled himself to his feet, his head swimming slightly at the change in position.

He supposed he should probably let one of the others know about Wild’s sudden excursion to Hylia-knows-where.

Slowly, he made his way over to the edge of the water where Time and Legend were. The Veteran taking advantage of the break to wash his laundry while Time used a soft, damp cloth to clean the grime from his shield.

‘So...’ He began, catching their attention. He shoved his hands in his pockets, looking across the shallow water to the glowing shrine. ‘Not sure where he went, but Wild just teleported away somewhere. He said he had something to do and he’d be right back, but I thought you should know.’

Time’s eye widened for a moment. ‘Did he say anything to give you an idea of where he went?’

‘No.’ He shook his head, still bemused at his protégé’s sudden disappearance. ‘He just stood up, said he had to leave and then vanished.’

‘Well.’ Legend said with a sarcastic sigh, eyes never leaving the tunic he was scrubbing. ‘That was pretty fucking rude of him.’

‘He looked like he had a plan.’ Twilight defended softly. He was slightly out of breath even from the short walk across the stable, legs feeling a little shaky. He sank down on the grass next to Time who was watching him with barely concealed concern.

‘How are you feeling?’ He asked softly once Twilight had settled.

Twilight shrugged, ’bout the same.’

He watched Time wring the last of the water from his cloth and drape it over his, now gleaming, shield to dry. The old man sat back to look across the water at the glowing shrine.

The Rancher sighed and rubbed a hand over his tired eyes. ‘I just wish I knew what caused it.’

Time nodded, and Legend, uncharacteristically, didn’t say anything, hands still busy but obviously listening.

Twilight and Time went back to staring across the water, each lost in their own thoughts.

O o O o O

Almost an hour later, as the sky was beginning to turn pink and Legend had just finished hanging the last of his laundry on his makeshift line. The shrine across the water began to glow an electric blue.

‘Finally. I think he’s back.’ Twilight muttered, once again hauling himself to his feet.

There was a swirl of blue lights, that coalesced into something vaguely resembling a Hylian before it gradually solidified into Wild, wearing his snowquill set and covered in snow. He was holding several large chunks of meat, a bow slung across his back.

Almost before he had finished materialising, he began to slosh across the shallow lake, the setting sun reflecting off the water in such a way that he couldn’t see them until he was nearly on the other side.

‘I think I understand.’ He said cryptically, striding past them. ‘I don’t know how I didn't realise it _before_.’

The other three heroes exchanged confused glances but Wild, on a mission, apparently didn’t notice.

‘Cub, you’ve lost me.’ Twilight admitted tiredly, feeling another wave of weariness slam into him. Wild didn’t stop to answer but instead continued walking rapidly towards the cooking pot.

Time grimaced and shrugged. He looked at the position of the sun. ‘I’m going to see if I can find Hyrule and Wind before it gets dark.’ He stated calmly. ‘If anything comes out of _this_...’ He waved his hand vaguely towards Wild, already beginning to wander away. ‘Just let me know.’

Legend rolled his eyes and flicked his hair, but his eyes glinted with a barely suppressed curiosity that Twilight knew was reflected in his own.

‘Goddess dammit...’ The Veteran huffed after several beats. ‘ _Fine_. Let’s go and see what our resident lunatic has been doing all afternoon.’

He and Twilight followed Wild to the cooking pot to see him preparing the meat he’d brought with him. At some point, he’d changed from his snowquill set back into his regular tunic and pants. 

He stopped what he was doing and looked up at his mentor, eyes bright and determined. ‘I think I know why you don’t have any energy.’

He nodded down towards the meat he was chopping into smaller pieces. ‘This is gourmet meat,’ He began. ‘From a Great-Horned Rhinoceros.’ 

Before he could continue, Legend’s eyes went from the huge chunks of meat to Wild and then over to Twilight, eyes widening almost comically in realisation.

He slapped himself in the forehead.

‘Of, fucking, _course_.’ He groaned, loudly. ‘Yeah. You know what? I know what happens from here. I’ll leave you to it. I’m going to tell the Old Man.’ The Veteran waved over his shoulder at the still baffled Twilight, muttering angrily as he stomped away.

Wild lowered his voice, undeterred. ‘I think you need to eat more meat, Twi. I haven’t cooked any in a few weeks and I think you might…’ he trailed off, eyes flicking to one of the stable dogs and then back again. Twilight followed his line of sight curiously. ‘…you know… _need_ it.’ Wild finished suggestively.

Twilight’s own eyes widened.

He looked down at the raw chunks of meat and inexplicably felt his mouth begin to water.

He swallowed uncomfortably, suddenly _ravenous_.

‘Oh. I was going to cook it. Would you rather just have it like this?’ Wild asked, apparently noticing the look of hunger.

Twilight blanched. ‘I can’t just eat _raw meat_ , Cub!’ he said in a harsh whisper, suddenly _terrified_ of being overheard even though the others were barely close enough to hear him if he shouted.

Wild tilted his head. ‘Why not? Trott at Outskirt Stable prefers to eat gourmet meat when it's raw. I’ve tried it too, during my journey. I prefer it cooked, but it’s good like this.’

Twilight swallowed again and his eyes flicked over towards the others to see if any were close enough to hear his strained whisper.

He felt _vulnerable_ , conflicted and defensive.

‘I mean…’ he eyed the raw meat again, visibly swallowed. ‘I think maybe if we were out in the wild I could get away with it without being questioned. But… we have a fire here, and it would look…’ he broke off and turned his head away from the meat, averting his gaze. ‘I _can’t_. It isn’t civilized, Cub.’

Wild nodded, looking at the meat, considering his options while the cooking pot warmed. ‘I think I know what I can do.’ He said softly. ‘You just go and tell the others that dinner will be ready soon.’

Twilight nodded and walked away, feeling shaky and uncertain at his own reaction to the meat, it had been a long time since he’d wanted to eat something so much.

That it was _raw_ _meat_ had shaken him. Badly.

He ran a hand down his face with a bone-weary sigh, he was so tired. Every movement he made left him short of breath and light-headed. He’d caught sight of himself in Legend’s mirror shield when they stopped to rest and was surprised to see how pale he’d grown.

Mind buzzing and uncertain, he moved slowly towards Warriors and Sky, who were sparring at the edge of the treeline, to let them know it was time to eat.

O o O o O

It wasn’t long before everyone was gathered around the fire, the sun was nearly set and was covering the whole stable in an orange tinge, everyone chatting easily and winding down after the day.

Wild began to hand out their dinner, Gourmet meat and rice bowls.

Leaving Twilight until last, he gave the Rancher a subtle wink and handed him his meal as he sat right next to him his own dinner in hand.

Curious, Twilight looked down and his eyes widened. While the generous pieces of meat that were topping everyone else’s bowls were cooked to Wild’s normal, perfect, medium-well, his only had an _edge_ of charring, leaving the rest very rare, it looked like it had barely touched the pan before the Champion had pulled it back out.

His mouth watered and he picked up a bite, breathing out in delight when he placed it into his mouth.

Instantly, he knew that Wild was right, _this_ was what his body was craving. The others might be able to sustain themselves with fish and vegetables for weeks on end, but his body needed meat to perform at its best.

He sighed through his nose. Glad to finally understand the cause of his periodic tiredness.

‘Hey, Wild! You forgot to cook Twilight’s meat!’ Wind said suddenly, looking concerned.

Twilight froze, inhaling sharply and almost choking, but Wild smiled easily. ‘Nah, Twi just wanted his cooked rare today is all.’

Wind looked confused. ‘Rare?’

Wild nodded. ‘There are different ways to cook meat. Usually, I just do it all the same way, but Twi wanted his juicer today, so I made it rare.’

Four, Legend and Time exchanged telling glances, but no one spoke. Obviously, Legend had told the others about Wild’s theory of what was ailing the Rancher.

‘Woah! This can get even juicier?!’ Wind sat forward to look more closely into Twilight’s bowl. Twi froze, uncomfortable and unsure about eating what was essentially raw meat in front of the others.

He was suddenly ashamed.

He felt like an animal.

He’d thought that the edge of char on it would be enough of a deterrent because technically it had been _cooked_ , but from the confusion on Wind’s face as he stared at his meal, it might not be.

If the pirate wanted to know why he would be willing to eat it raw when they had the option of cooking it, he wouldn't know how to answer.

He averted his gaze from Wind’s curious one, looking down, away from the bowl in his hands and towards the dirt. The bite in his mouth suddenly tasted like ashes and he swallowed awkwardly, the meat sticking in his throat.

He had no idea what to say.

‘Want to try a piece?’ Wild asked, suddenly, breaking Twilight out of his thoughts. With a jolt, the Rancher looked over to see Wild holding his own bowl out to Wind and realised that the cook's bowl was also filled with rare meat on rice.

He felt a rush of affection for the young man and let out a relieved breath. One in nine eating rare meat might be enough to raise suspicion, two made it a personal preference.

Wind considered Wild’s bowl for a long, long moment.

‘It’s pretty good.’ Wild tempted, popping a bite into his mouth as if it was the most natural thing in the world.

Finally, Wind shook his head and took a bite from his own bowl. ‘Nah. I mean, having it even juicier sounds good, but I think I’ll just stick to mine today.’

Wild shrugged, unfazed by Wind’s decision and continued to chew happily. Everyone else went back to their own bowls and conversation quickly returned to normal.

Hesitantly, Twilight put another bite of meat into his mouth, again felt the jolt of energy from his body beginning to metabolise what he needed.

He kept his head down for a moment, eyes checking to see if anyone was watching him eat, still feeling incredibly self-conscious.

He breathed out through his nose and lifted his head, emboldened when he realised that no one was paying either him or Wild any further attention.

‘Whaddaya think?’ Wild asked quietly, mouth full. Rescuing Twilight from his own, convoluted, thoughts.

Twilight gave a little laugh, shot one more quick glance around to triple check that no one was watching him and then shoved a huge bite into his mouth, finally eating in earnest.

After another bite, he could feel his anxiousness fade away.

‘I _think_ this is the most delicious thing I’ve ever eaten.’ Twilight laughed. ‘I already feel a bit better, it looks like you were right.’

Wild nodded with a smile. ‘I rammed a bunch of extra steaks in the slate while I was out earlier. We should have enough for at least the next couple of months.’

Twilight laughed at what he thought was an obvious exaggeration to lighten the mood but paused when Wild didn’t join him.

He looked over to see Wild chewing away, eyes bright, expression far too innocent.

He groaned. ‘Sweet Hylia… _Cub_ …’

‘What?’ Was the defensive reply. ‘I didn’t want to run out again…’

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I don't know if any of you have ever had something like anaemia, but, to quote Legend. It fucking sucks. I am aware that there's no way Twilight could eat a piece of meat and be cured, but it would definitely make him feel a little better. 
> 
> I might actually get Wild's chap out tomorrow, don't hold your breath... but. Maybe?


	9. Chilly mushroom risotto

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> The group does their best...

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Wild's turn! Does anyone else find it fascinating that in Botw you can only sleep in stables and inns and you 'sit by the fire' everywhere else? Cause I do!
> 
> I was going to go heavy angst based on that, but decided to make it a little lighter.

‘Woah…’ Twilight turned his head at Four’s disbelieving exhalation. ‘Is Wild… _asleep_?’

Legend, Time and Hyrule who were all within hearing distance of Four’s bewildered question turned to look for themselves.

Wild did indeed appear to be asleep atop Epona. His shoulders were relaxed and he was moving easily with his horse’s gait, head down and eyes closed, hair swinging lazily around his face.

‘What the..?’ Hyrule asked, baffled. He and Four exchanged stunned glances and then turned their eyes back to their friend, now concerned.

They were all riding a long a trail in Wild’s Hyrule, each of them on their own horse and riding in rows of two along the narrow canyon. They were headed to Gerudo Town, after being dropped near Whistling Hill during the shift. They had managed to stay at Riverside stable the first night, but since then, had been camping out. Although they were all tired from sleeping rough, it seemed out of character for _Wild_ to be the one to fall asleep while riding.

‘Should… we… check on him?’ Legend asked, uncertain, brow furrowed.

Time and Twilight exchanged unsure looks.

‘Maybe he’s not sleeping well?’ Wind volunteered, sounding worried, the attention of the others captured by the conversation behind them. ‘He sat by the fire all night last night.’

Sky looked pensive, worried. ‘He did the same when I had second watch the night before.’

‘And when I took last watch from Four the night before that.’ Warriors looked at the smallest who shook his head.

‘He didn’t sleep when I was on the second watch that night either.’ The smith confirmed.

The group all exchanged startled looks each trying to think back to the last time they’d seen the Champion rest.

‘Has anyone seen him sleep at all since we got back to his Hyrule? Besides the first night at the stable?’ Twilight asked, suddenly breathless.

No one answered.

‘H-he couldn’t have stayed awake the whole time.’ Warriors muttered, pale. ‘It’s been over a week.’

Hyrule sighed and pinched the bridge of his nose. ‘This is his Hyrule. He only remembers living here when it was a hostile environment and he was all alone. Letting his guard down enough to sleep regularly might not have been an option for him on his journey.’ He whispered.

There was a long silence filled the clearing, broken only by the clopping of their horses hooves on the hard dirt.

‘ _Fuck_.’ Legend said with feeling, summing up everyone’s opinion in one, heartfelt, expletive.

He looked at the sleeping young man again. If anyone understood pushing their body to the limits for destiny it was the veteran.

‘I once went without sleep for 5 days and it was…’ Legend let his voice fade away, eyes distant and unaware of the surprised eyes on him for volunteering information about his journey unprompted. After a moment he shook himself and blinked. ‘It fucking _sucked_.’ He finished more strongly.

The shrill scream of a bokoblin pierced the air from the right, nearest to Wild, making them all jump and Epona give a low whinny, shaking her head.

Wild instantly sat up straighter, opening his eyes and she charged, trampling the beast into the rock where it exploded into black dust. She shook her mane and then trotted back to her spot in the line. Her ears were forward and she breathed out through her nose, clearly alert. He patted her on the side of the neck murmuring to her and making her ears twitch in pleasure.

‘Hey, are you ok, Cub?’ Twilight asked uncertainly.

Wild blinked awake and turned, blushing slightly when he noticed everyone’s eyes on him. He nodded.

‘Tired?’ Four prompted.

Another nod and a so-so motion with his hand. Legend ran a hand down his face in frustration and Hyrule shot him a look.

‘Have you been sleeping?’ Time asked bluntly.

The scarred hero gave him a strange look, unknowingly confirming their suspicions before he answered.

‘I don’t sleep while out in the wild. It’s not safe to sleep outside of inns or stables in this Hyrule, I’ve been helping keep watch.’

A long, _long_ silence followed his comment.

‘ _Urgh_.’ Sky said weakly.

‘Right.’ Twilight said, his suddenly stern tone making Wild blink. ‘Where’s the nearest stable, Cub?’

Wild frowned, ‘Gerudo Canyon stable is about ½ an hour that way, but...’ He pointed and Twilight turned his horse, charging up the hill and out of the canyon before the other had even finished speaking.

He blinked, bemused, and looked at Time, the others following after the Rancher without hesitation. ‘A-aren’t we going to the Kara Kara bazaar?’

‘Not anymore, Cub. We’re making a stop.’

Wild nodded, obviously not understanding and turned Epona with a shrug, following after Twilight. 

O o O o O

½ an hour later, as predicted, they had made it to Gerudo Canyon stable.

Once Wild had greeted the locals and their horses had been taken into the stables to rest. Twilight spun around to face Wild, expression surprisingly fierce making the Champion flinch.

‘W-what?’ He asked, bewildered. He looked around at the group for help to see they were all looking at him sternly. His eyes widened. ‘ _What_?’ he asked again.

‘You.’ Twilight took a step forward, finger pointing firmly at his protégé and then to the dim interior of the stable. ‘Sleep. _Now_.’

Wild gave a low laugh of sudden relief. ‘Oh. _That’s_ what this is about?’ He grinned. No one grinned back and the smile slipped from his face.

‘Guys, it’s not a big deal,’ He began. ‘I use this technique the Sheikah taught me, it-‘

‘ _Now_ , Cub.’ Twilight said firmly, cutting him off. ‘We can talk about it after, but now you’re getting in one of those beds and you’re going to _sleep_. Or I’m going to _carry_ you in there and tuck you in so tight you won’t be able to _breathe_.’ He exhaled so hard through his nose it sounded like a growl.

There was a long pause, no one moving.

Finally, Twilight took a menacing step forwards, intending to deliver on his threat and Wild scurried back a step, holding up his hands in surrender.

‘Ok! Ok! I’m going.’ He said hurriedly. He began to walk towards the stable, shooting an astonished glance over his shoulder as he went.

They watched him disappear and everyone let out an explosive breath of relief

Time ran a defeated hand down his face. ‘Did you really have to _threaten_ him, Pup?’

Unamused eyes turned towards the eldest. ‘Yes.’

O o O o O

Several hours had passed since Wild had been sent to bed and the others had spread out around the stable.

Looking for a distraction, Four entered the stable and found Hyrule staring at a poster that had been pinned to the wall.

‘What’s that?’ He asked curiously.

Hyrule shrugged one shoulder. ‘I can’t read Wild’s Hylian, but I think… it’s a recipe?’

Squinting, eyes glinting purple, Four leaned closer. There was a picture of a dish of food as well as several, smaller images of ingredients underneath.

‘Hmmm…’ He breathed, hand going to his chin. ‘That’s a chillshroom, I know Wild used that to make the chilly elixir when we had to go to the desert in Legend’s era. And there’s salt, butter and rice…’ He nodded slowly. ‘Yeah, I think you’re right, Roolie. Looks like a recipe.’

Hyrule stared at the picture for another long moment, biting his lip and then turned his head to see the innkeeper looking in their direction. He grinned and looked at Four.

‘I think I just had a really good idea.’

O o O o O

‘Wow, are we really going to do this?’ Warriors asked, sounding doubtful.

‘It looks pretty complicated.’ Sky agreed.

‘No, way, it’s easy, right?’ Hyrule looked at Four, who nodded enthusiastically.

‘Piaffe read the recipe out for us and Four said he remembers what we have to do. It’s called Chilly mushroom risotto.’

There was a brief, uneasy silence until Wind spoke.

‘I think we should do it, think how happy Wild would be if we managed to cook _him_ dinner for once.’

The silence somehow grew as each became introspective.

‘Oh, for fuck’s _sake_.’ Legend muttered, irritated. He strode towards the cooking pot, rolling up his sleeves. ‘ _Fine_. Let’s get this over with.’

O o O o O

It turned out, cooking was _not_ as easy as simply following a recipe pinned to a stable wall.

The group had gained an audience as the bored stable-goers watched their progress with barely contained glee.

‘Damnit!’ Warriors cursed, looking down at the rice which was somehow burned on the outside but still raw in the middle.

He strode over to Beedle, fishing in his pocket and handed the grinning merchant a blue rupee. Beedle added it to his growing pile and swapped it for a fresh bundle of rice which Warriors took with a sour look, stomping back towards the pot where the others were waiting.

‘We were closer that time!’ Hyrule said excitedly, earning a happy nod of agreement from Wind.

Piaffe snorted in disbelieving amusement and sipped from the cup in his hand which, from the growing ruddiness of his cheeks, Four was beginning to suspect held something far stronger than milk.

Legend shot him a withering glare and the stable owner simply smiled back at the fuming Veteran, saluting him cheekily with the mug.

‘Right.’ Time said, somehow managing to remain calm. He deliberately turned his back on the watching crowd. ‘Let’s try again. Sky, how about you try making the rice this time?’

Sky swallowed nervously and approached the cooking pot cautiously, a stick of butter gripped in his hand.

Sesami took out his pencil from behind his ear and turned to his friends. ‘Ok, this round the odds are four to one, any takers?’

Without hesitation, Oliff held out a red rupee. ‘There’s no way they won't get it this time. It’s been… how many?’ He turned to his travelling companion Canolo who checked the paper in his hand.

‘So far, they've tried… six times.’ He advised with a broad grin.

‘Alright.’ Oliff confirmed with a nod, rubbing his hands together. ‘C’mon, lucky number seven!’

The group of watching stable dwellers roared with laughter and several more rupees changed hands.

‘Don’t listen to them.’ Twilight muttered, trying and failing to hide his blush. ‘We can do this.’

O o O o O

Just as the sun was setting, they stared in the pot in front of them with wide eyes.

‘Did we… did we actually do it?’ Wind whispered, barely daring to believe it.

‘Someone try it.’ Warriors suggested.

No one moved.

There was brief chaos at the back of the group and then Four was pushed forwards with a spoon in his hand. He glared half-heartedly at his ‘friends’ and there was dead silence from both the group of heroes and the watching crowd as he approached the pot.

Hesitantly, Four dunked a spoon into the mixture and held it up to his eyes. He sniffed it carefully and then poked it lightly with an index finger. Finally, he frowned and _carefully_ placed it in his mouth.

There was silence from the gathered crowd as he cautiously chewed.

Several seconds later, he grinned and gave a thumbs up.

The crowd around them _cheered_.

Sky slumped to the ground, spent, while Hyrule and Warriors hugged, overcome by their victory. The others laughing in relief.

‘Wh-what’s going on?’

The silence that greeted that statement was deafening and everyone spun guiltily to see a groggy looking Wild exiting the stable. He looked very confused and they suddenly realised how much noise they must have been making.

‘Sorry, cub.’ Time apologised. ‘We didn't mean to wake you.’

Wild simply nodded, bemused, and sniffed the air. ‘Can I smell… burned _salt_?’ His confusion grew. ‘Can you _burn_ _salt_?’

‘ _Yes_.’ Legend confirmed with a glare.

Beedle stifled a laugh.

‘We, uhh. We made you dinner, Cub.’ Twilight interrupted awkwardly with a smile.

Wild looked flabbergasted, eyes travelling around at the tired looking group. ‘You what?’

He moved over to look into the pot, eyes widening in surprise.

‘You guys _made_ this?’

‘Yeah!’ Wind exclaimed, he ran forwards and grabbed Wild’s hand, dragging him towards the pot. ‘Four already tried it and he said it was ok.’

Wild smiled, feeling the nervous but excited energy coming from his friends. The crowd that had been watching dispersed with good-natured grumbling, off to find something else to entertain themselves now that their fun was over.

Sky handed him a bowl full of the chilly mushroom risotto they’d made, while Hyrule dished out portions to the others.

Wild looked at it, speechless.

He couldn't remember ever having a meal cooked just for him before. Sure he’d traded for food and meals on the road, but no one had cooked a dish specifically with him in mind, before now.

He took a hesitant bite, all eyes on him, and began to chew warily.

After a moment, his smile lit up his whole face, and the others exchanged happy and relieved looks, bustling about to get their own bowls.

Wild’s smile grew and he spooned another bite into his mouth.

The risotto was over seasoned, undercooked and somehow the group had managed to burn a _chillshroom_. But looking at their tired, triumphant, faces and knowing how hard they must have worked to make it just for _him_ , making it the most delicious thing he’d ever eaten.

Twilight sat next to him, bowl in hand, and the Champion felt a chill run down his spine when he noticed all eyes were once again on him, he swallowed, mouth going abruptly dry when the Rancher fixed him with a stern eye.

‘Now _Cub_. We need to talk about your sleeping habits.’

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Well. That's it for this round my friends... I've enjoyed working on this so much that I've already got two ideas for new chapters. I don't want to promise anything, but I've got vague ideas of making a second round. It might take a month or two though cause I'd want to do something similar to this where I post them day by day which means I have to ... you know... write them first?
> 
> Thank you all from the bottom of my heart for being so amazing and your kind words. This has been super fun!


	10. BONUS - Plain crepes and honeyed fruits

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> *sound of air horns* BONUS ROUND
> 
> Wild wants to show Malon he appreciates her.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I've been working on the new round of Wild Rice, but after having a chat with theScrap_Witch have decided to go in a bit of a different direction. 
> 
> The next round of chapters will be less about food (because that's kind of been done, and there are only so many situations you can force your (NINE) characters to sit down and eat) and more about the group going on one-on-one adventures with Wild in his Hyrule. 
> 
> So, this chapter is dedicated to her! 
> 
> Thanks so much for your help! <3

Malon woke at sunrise, as normal, and carefully rolled out of bed trying not to wake her husband.

Time mumbled at her movement and opened his eye a crack, she laughed softly, exasperated.

He _always_ woke up. She reached down and smoothed his hair back from his face, pressing a kiss to his temple.

‘Go back to sleep.’ She whispered. ‘I’m just going to feed the cucoos and make breakfast for the boys.’

He gave a low hum, eye drifting closed again and she grinned in success when his breathing once again deepened. She crept from the room, trying to avoid the floorboard she knew would creak and slowly, _slowly_ closed the rough, wooden door behind her.

Malon stood still for a long moment, ears pricked up for any noise inside the room that signaled her husband was getting out of bed. After a moment of silence, she grinned, turning to walk down the stairs and silently reveling in her victory.

Whenever her husband was home, Malon always tried to get him to sleep in until she had at least finished making breakfast. Time always looked so tired when he was in the middle of an adventure and she always felt that he deserved a bit of extra sleep.

She liked to think of it as 'building up his stores' for the days when he wouldn’t get a chance to rest at all.

She had mixed results, more often than not he would insist on getting up when she did. But sometimes, rarely, like this morning, he would simply allow himself to curl back up, burrow into the blankets and let sleep pull him back under knowing he, Malon and the boys were safe.

Usually, he only stayed in bed for an extra few minutes, giving himself a chance to wake up slowly.

But, on her favourite days, the very, _very_ rare ones. Time actually fell back asleep and it was much longer until he woke, coming to find her with mussed hair and a groggy, contented expression that was so different from his normal, tense, mid-adventure, stare.

Malon reached the kitchen, meaning to walk through the back door to the cucoo field and stopped with a gasp.

Someone was already in the kitchen.

Wild heard her gasp and turned with a welcoming smile, a large mixing bowl in the crook of one arm, the other stirring it with a wooden spoon.

‘Morning.’ He said softly.

She noticed with a grin that his hair was still done in an intricate braid, courtesy of what Legend had sarcastically begun called The Hyrule Hair Club.

It seemed that Warriors had a bit of skill in that area, and Wind was trying to learn as many styles as he could before they returned home to Outset so he could surprise his sister.

Wild, having the longest hair in the group, seemed happy enough to let them practice on him.

‘Morning.’ She echoed. 'You're up early, even for you!'

He nodded, suddenly self-conscious in her presence and looked into the bowl he was stirring.

‘I-I wanted to thank you.’ He mumbled. ‘For everything. For welcoming us. B-but, the only way I know how is to cook something.’ He blushed a sudden, bright red, shuffling his feet and stopped speaking abruptly, clamping his mouth shut.

She smiled fondly and considered him for another moment.

She had only met Wild a few days before when the group had shown up on her doorstep in the middle of a storm. According to Time, he was the newest addition to the group of heroes and, from their few interactions, she was beginning to realise that he was _so much_ like how her husband had been when he was younger.

Wild was earnest and honest, but had been given a heavy duty too young and wasn’t yet sure how to express his softer emotions. He still struggled trying to navigate situations that didn’t require him to either fade into the background or charge to the front.

‘What are you making?’ she asked, giving him a second to fight down his blush.

‘P-plain crepes and honeyed fruits.’

A huge bright smile erupted over her face. ‘That’s my favourite!’ she exclaimed.

Wild averted his gaze, frame stiffening, and her smile softened when she realised that he was making them _because_ they were her favourite. ‘Who told you?’

A cleared throat. ‘…Sky.’

She shook her head, stunned, and he put down his bowl and rushed to explain.

‘I-it’s just that we won’t be here very long and I can make things for the others any time, but I don’t know when we’re going to be here again, and… and you’re just – yo-you’ve been so _nice_ and I wanted to…’

She pulled him into a gentle hug and he froze, words trailing away.

‘ _Thank you_.’ She whispered voice thick. ‘No one has ever made crepes specially for me before.’

He blinked and gently, hesitantly, as if scared he would hurt her, placed his arms around her.

He breathed out slowly and closed his eyes, allowing his shoulders to relax minutely.

It was the first real hug he could ever remember getting and was surprised to find his eyes were slightly damp.

They stood like that for a long moment, Malon seeming to understand what he wasn’t able to verbalise rubbing small circles on his back.

A small sound behind them had Wild jumping back as if he’d been burned. His hand reaching unconsciously for a weapon he didn’t have.

Time was standing, leaning against the doorway with a gentle smile on his face and his empty palms facing out to show he was unarmed.

‘I didn't mean to startle you.’ He said softly, smiling at the young man as if he’d never seen him before.

From his expression he’d been there a while.

A shaky nod.

Time shifted his gaze to his wife and they shared a smile. ‘How about we leave Wild to finish your special breakfast and you and me go and feed those cows and cucoos?’

She extended her arm and her husband hooked his elbow with hers. Malon winked and together they walked outside leaving Wild once again alone in the kitchen.

With a newfound determination the teen picked up the bowl again and kept stirring. These were going to be the best crepes and honeyed fruits he’d _ever_ made.

O o O o O

By the time Malon and Time were done feeding the animals, Wild had finished making breakfast and the others had risen and were sitting around the table chatting.

‘Finally!’ Warriors said when they walked in. ‘Wild wouldn’t let us start until you got here!’

Malon looked at her husband in amusement and he gave a rare toothy grin in return.

‘ _Some_ of us had chores to do this morning.’ Time said, sitting at the head of the table.

Wild snorted and began to uncover the dishes that he had been keeping warm.

The young man had gone all out, he’d made enough crepes to feed a small army and had made an array of accompaniments. He’d marinated extra wildberries in mint and sweet liqueur, had whipped some butter and had made his own caramel and chocolate orange sauces, he had even created a creamy concoction that was glistening with candied fruits and tiny pieces of nuts. There was also a huge plate piled high with perfectly stewed honeyed fruits, sprinkled with granulated sugar, a jug of thickened cream next to them. 

The whole table stared.

Sky’s face softened into a fond smile when he realised why Wild had made what he had. He tore his eyes away from the banquet in front of him to look at Malon. Her beautiful eyes were wide and her hands were in front of her mouth, she was clearly overwhelmed and her eyes began to glisten with tears.

Completely oblivious, Wild put several crepes onto a plate and a healthy spoonful of honeyed fruits, he then drizzled the whole plate with honey and sat next to Malon, only looking at her when he turned to pass them to her.

‘Oh…’ he visibly paled when he saw her tears. He dropped the plate, fingers suddenly numb, and it landed in the table in front of her with a soft thud. ‘ _O-oh no…!_ ’

She blinked her tears away startled at his reaction and Time had the gall to actually _laugh_.

Suddenly understanding his reaction, she put a gentle hand on the side of Wild’s face, stopping him from panicking.

‘Thank you Wild.’ She breathed. ‘This is beautiful.’

He nodded, eyes still huge and licked his lips.

His gaze flicked uncertainly over her shoulder to look at Time, electric blue eyes widening in confusion when he realised the older hero was smiling rather than looking as if he wanted to punch Wild in the face for making his wife cry.

Wild was suddenly _very_ confused.

‘Mmmm!’ the mood was broken by Wind who was already eating a crepe, piled high with different toppings. ‘Wild, this creamy stuff is _so good_!’ he declared loudly, mouth full to bursting.

Sky laughed and began to help himself, he looked over at Wind to see the young man forking another bite of crepes into his mouth. Catching his eye, the pirate winked, barely perceptible, and Sky’s eyes widened.

It seemed that the Sailor wasn’t as oblivious as he’d seemed.

‘Best crepes I’ve ever eaten.’ Malon said, her grin expanding when it was met with eight more enthusiastic agreements.

‘In fact, I could use your help in the kitchen today while the others take care of the outdoor chores?’ She asked casually, noticing, but not acknowledging, how the rest of the table perked up at the offer, the slight gasp from her husband.

How Wind actually seemed to have started _drooling_.

Wild nodded enthusiastically, a pleased blush on his cheeks.

‘Perfect.’ She grinned, putting a forkful of crepe and berries in her mouth and winking at him. ‘Let’s see what we can whip up.’

‘Oh, sweet and merciful, Hylia.’ Sky mumbled softly. ‘I cannot _wait_ for dinner.’

Legend, sitting next to him, mouth so stuffed with crepes his cheeks bulged, couldn't help his own wide-eyed nod.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I really, really hope you all liked this. 
> 
> I know Warriors had crepes as well, but that's another reason for me changing the direction of the second round. I'm running out of recipes...
> 
> Sure there are differences between seafood riceballs and meaty riceballs, but they're... subtle. 
> 
> I'll keep working on the adventure fics and, in the meantime, will start up a fic of random one-shots to keep the inspiration flowing. 
> 
> I wrestled with this story for months before finally sitting down and writing it, so I imagine the second one will be much of the same. The basics are there, but a LOT of tweaks are needed. I hope you're all alright with the change of direction...
> 
> In fact, question for the group! Do people like seeing the chapters come out one day apart, or would you prefer to read them one week apart?
> 
> Just out of curiosity. 
> 
> Lala <3


	11. Creamy mushroom soup

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Four sometimes gets migraines... Wild does what he can to help him get through one.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> GAH. 
> 
> Ok. I'm sorry for everyone that read this as a chapter of Swift Violets. But, it wouldn't leave me alone... 
> 
> There's another chapter for another character that is on the cusp of belonging here. It doesn't R E A L L Y fit as food isn't as huge a part of the story, but it's sort of a continuation of an earlier chapter, so I've decided to put it here as well (which will be soon once final edits are done). 
> 
> My brain is a vague soup, it's hard to know if more of these food ideas will pop up, so I want to keep my options open and not just close this story off because everyone's already had a chapter. 
> 
> This one is dedicated to theScrap_Witch. 
> 
> Thanks again <3

‘W-wild?’

The Champion started out of his musings, eyes shifting to the small Smithy.

‘Mmhmm?’

‘Do…’ he hesitated and Wild frowned. ‘Do you mind if we take a break?’

The weather, as could be expected in the south eastern part of Hyrule the group had been deposited in, was horrible. It had been raining off and on for days and the sun, when it decided to break through the clouds, reflected off the water that lay on the ground with a glare so bright it was almost blinding.

Wild looked up at the sky, they had gone out on a supply run and still had several hours of daylight, but for Four to ask there must have been a reason

‘Yeah, ok.’ Wild said, visibly confused. ‘Do you want to stop now?’

There was another long silence and he turned to look at their shortest, the afternoon sun making him squint.

‘…Four?’ Wild finally prompted.

A weary sigh that spoke volumes.

The long-haired teen shielded his eyes with his hand and looked the small Smithy over, his shoulders were uncharacteristically tense, and his green eyes were squinted nearly closed in the glare of the sun beating on the water on the plains around them, he was pale and breathing a little harder than was normal.

He gave a pained smile.

‘It’s alright, never mind me, we should continue.’ He said softly.

He moved forwards a couple of steps before stumbling to a halt and turning to look back at the Champion when he realised he wasn’t following.

‘I don’t mind if we stop.’ Wild said, matter-of-factly, he had a small frown on his face. ‘It feels like we’ve been walking for days.’

Four ran a hand down his face, a vulnerable gesture that was very out of character. Wild’s frown grew, analytic eyes piecing together the clues he’d received.

‘I’m ok to keep going.’ Four said softly, tone gentle as always. ‘I-it’s just.’ He paused, looking uncertain. A long moment passed, a gust of wind blowing between the two young men. He sighed, this time in resignation.

‘I have a bit of a headache. It has been growing worse since we got to your Hyrule.’

That was _not_ what he was expecting to hear.

Wild gaped.

For Four, for any of them, to admit to such a thing, the headache must have been _very_ bad.

‘Are you ok?’ Wild asked softly.

Four nodded. He looked ashamed, a blush staining his cheeks.

‘Yes, I get them sometimes. Although not for years.’ His voice was still softer than usual and Wild realised with a start he was swaying very slightly as if dizzy. His concern increased and he looked around, noticing the perfect place to camp just meters away. This must have been why Four had asked now. He’d also noticed the camp space. He put a hand on his friend's arm and led him towards the clearing.

‘Come on. It’s not dark enough to need a fire, but I think the warmth would be good for you. Let’s stop here for a bit.’

Four nodded slowly, and Wild bit his lip when he closed his eyes for a long moment, brows still lowered in pain.

The headache must have been very bad. Wild had heard of such things, and although he’d never experienced one himself, one of the stable hands at Outskirt Stable would sometimes be in bed for days. Migraine she had called them. The Champion pursed his lips, trying to remember what his friend had done to treat them.

He gestured for Four to take a seat, and waved off his objections about helping set up camp.

‘I’m fine.’ He said with a small smile. ‘Just sit down while I cook you something light.’

‘Wild...’ The young man tried to protest once more, but the scarred Champion was having none of it.

‘Sit.’ He commanded, uncharacteristically firm, pointing at a fallen log.

Four sat.

At the cooking pot, Wild took a moment now they were out of the glaring sun to really look him over. Four was very pale, with dark circles under squinted eyes and his lowered eyebrows and tense shoulders showing how much pain the smithy was truly in. He felt his heart clench in sympathy. For the young man to be in this state, the headache must have been unbearable.

‘Just…stay there.’ He said more gently. Four nodded, and gave up all pretense. With another sigh he put his elbows on his knees, his head in his hands.

Choosing not to say anything, but now very worried at his unusual behaviour, Wild started a small fire. While the pot heated, he grabbed his bedroll from his slate and spread it out on the other side of the flames, shooting looks at the unmoving Smithy as he did.

He looked terrible.

Wild knew first-hand how stubborn Four was, how high his tolerance for pain was. For him to be in this state for a headache was almost frightening.

Wordlessly Wild gathered the ingredients to make a simple cream of mushroom soup, deciding that a lighter meal would be better if Four wasn't feeling well.

He considered the ingredients in his slate. If he used big hearty truffles and added some Hyrule herb to the stock, the extra health benefits would probably help his friend.

Like the rest of them, Four’s appetite was usually voracious, but Wild was in unfamiliar territory and only knew that when he felt unwell, his appetite was usually the first thing to go.

The one time he could remember being so sick he couldn‘t continue his journey, he had been attempting the Master Sword trials. The Great Deku tree, all knowing as always, had convinced him to stop and rest at the space in his trunk.

The tree had instructed the Koroks gently to make their Hero some food, unable as he was to make it for himself and Wild would always remember the first sip of the warm, savoury broth of the Cream of Mushroom Soup that had been brought to him. He could almost _feel_ himself recovering as he slowly drank it.

Since then, at the first hint of fatigue or a sore throat, Wild always made himself a pot of the soup and it never failed to lift his spirits and make him feel better.

Silence filled the clearing and Wild shot Four another look as he stirred the pot.

The Smithy hadn’t moved.

At all.

His head was still in his hands and his shoulders were tense. He seemed to be breathing deeply and Wild suspected he was trying to control the pain.

He frowned and focussed his attention back on the pot. He bit his lip as he tried to think how he could help while the soup simmered. It would take almost half an hour for the soup to reach its full, healing potency. There was no way he was going to leave his friend to deal with the agony by himself for that amount of time.

Finally, Four looked at up him, catching his expression and gave another tight, pained, smile.

‘I’m fine, Wild. It's just a headache.’ He breathed.

‘Yes, a very, very bad one.’ Was the older teen’s answer. Wild paused, considering.

‘I want you to lay down for a while.’ He held up a finger, forestalling his arguments. ‘You need to take care of yourself. The soup will help a lot, but it’s at least half an hour away.’

Four stared at him for a long moment, his normally quick brain, struggling to understand. Finally, he sighed and gave a slow nod.

‘A friend of mine suffers from these headaches.’ Wild said quietly. ‘She gave me a few tips on how to treat them. I’d like to help?’

‘Do I have a choice?’ he asked, voice tight with pain, but the wry amusement still clear.

‘Nope.’ Wild smiled brightly. He knelt on the bed roll and patted his lap. ‘Come and put your head here.’

Four shook his head, eyes wide and opened his mouth to argue. Small spots of colour on his cheeks.

‘Four.’ He said quietly, smile fading slightly. ‘It’s ok. Please… let me help you, I can _see_ how bad your headache is.’

Looking as if he was regretting it, but unable to argue further, Four stood, stumbling slightly, hand over his eyes and slowly walked towards his friend. He lowered himself until he was sitting cross legged on the bedroll, his back to Wild, but seemed unable to make himself lay down.

As the smallest Hero, Four was constantly underestimated by their enemies. He was usually targeted first by monsters, who made the error of confusing 'small' with 'weak'. He had developed a thick skin and a need to suppress any vulnerability or discomfort in front of others.

With an understanding smile Wild pulled gently on his shoulders until Four was laying down with his head on Wild’s lap green eyes diverted from his face and Wild laughed quietly.

‘Just relax.’ He reached out his hands and gently removed Four’s ever-present headband, letting the golden strands fall and releasing some of the tension on his scalp.

‘Wild...’ He tried, protesting once more. The young man didn’t know how to react, but he was feeling exposed and vulnerable and _sick_.

‘Relax.’ The Champion ordered. With a deft movement, he took the heavy piece of folded cloth that he’d prepared over Four’s eyes to block out the light he knew was bothering him. Then, finally, Wild put his hands on Four’s scalp and began to massage the tight skin.

The Smithy, eyes covered, tensed in surprise for a moment and then with a low exhale, he could feel the tension bleed out of his shoulders. ‘See?’ Wild laughed, hands moving in slow, soothing, rhythms. ‘It helps.’

Four gave a low huff of laughter, but didn't speak and Wild looked down at him with a smile. It seemed the cloth over his eyes had eased some of his friend’s inhibitions and he was finally allowing himself to relax.

He massaged the Smithy’s scalp for several minutes, pleased when his breathing began to deepen and he relaxed. The massage and the heavy cloth seemed to be working. With gentle hands Wild reached out and placed a hand on either side of his head, massaging the temples and his forehead. Four gave a low, startled, hiss of pain and he soothed him softly.

‘I’m sorry, I know. It will feel better soon.’ He swept his hands back into Four’s hair and continued to massage his scalp, using his thumbs along lowered eyebrows, heart clenching when Four gave an almost sob, paling further.

The headache must have been _unbearable_.

Wild paused for a moment and dipped the tips of his fingers into a mixture he’d made and then dripped the ointment on the piece of cloth covering his eyes. The soothing scent of oil infused with amaranth and cool safflina washed over them. The medicinal qualities of the combined plants had a slight sedative effect, making Four drift sleepily, the world beginning to haze around the edges and taking the sharpness from the pain.

‘It will be ok.’ Wild whispered, he reached for the Smithy’s hand began to gently massage the scented oil into the pressure point in between his thumb and forefinger, shushing him gently when he tensed.

Silence again filled their clearing and several long minutes passed and he looked down to see that Four’s mouth was slightly open. Good, that meant that his jaw was beginning to relax, which meant he was no longer as tense with pain.

Wild brushed some of the stray hair away from his face and Four gave a sleepy hum, obviously drifting slightly from the treatment. He smiled and changed from massaging his scalp to gently running his fingers through his hair. It was longer than it appeared when it was tied up and he began earnestly trying to remove some of the knots he had put into it with his massage.

‘Poor Four.’ He whispered in sympathy.

Four didn’t answer but gave a low self-deprecating hum of agreement and Wild let out a huff of laughter. He looked over at the pot to see that the light soup appeared to be finished. Gently, he lifted Four’s shoulders and slipped out from under him, placing the small Smithy’s head on his own rolled up cloak. Four, still looking very sick huffed in protest and Wild looked over in dismay to see his jaw was clenched again.

He ladled out a small bowl of mostly broth and walked to Four, he reached out to touch him gently on the shoulder and Four started slightly. Slowly, groggily, he raised his head to look at him, his normally serene green eyes murky with exhaustion and pain.

Wild handed him the bowl and he took it, staring at the contents as if he wasn't sure what to do with it.

The Champion sat next to him.

‘You should try to eat.’ He said softly. There was a beat of silence before, hesitantly as if he wasn’t sure it was a good idea, Four took a small sip of the broth and smiled.

‘It’s good.’ He whispered. ‘Thank you.’

Wild nodded, and watched as he took another sip. Then two more. He paused with a sigh and set the still full bowl to one side, a hand over his stomach.

‘Just give it a few minutes and then try a few more.’ Wild advised. ‘The soup has healing properties.’

Four nodded and Wild watched as the colour gradually began to return to his friend’s face. His brow becoming less pained and his eyes more alert, less murky.

It took almost an hour for the Smithy to eat the first, small bowl but finally, he smiled.

‘I think I’m ok, now.’ He said, voice raspy. ‘That soup really works,’

Wild pursed his lips, critically looking his friend over. While Four did look much better than he had before, he still looked a little ragged around the edges, his eyes were still tense and there was something about the set of his shoulders that told the Champion he wasn’t quite recovered.

Pointedly, wordlessly, Wild reached out with the ladle and filled the bowl again, making sure to include several chunks of hearty truffle this time.

Four looked a little startled at the obvious message before shrugging and taking another sip.

‘I’m not going to complain if you want to feed me.’ He said with a small laugh. ‘This is really good.’

Wild nodded, satisfied.

‘How’s your headache?’

Four smiled softly. ‘Already so much better.’

At Wild’s look of disbelief he smiled sheepishly. ‘It really is.’ He insisted. ‘it will probably take a few days to go away completely, but it’s much better.’ He paused, shuffling his feet in the dirt.

‘It’s the first time it’s gone away so quickly. I…’ He blushed slightly, averting his eyes, obviously still uncomfortable with his vulnerability. ‘Thank you.’

‘Do you get them often?’ Wild asked softly.

Four paused, considering how to answer that question. How much he wanted to reveal. He looked at Wild out of the corner of his eye and saw only genuine concern on his friend’s face.

‘I… don’t get them so much anymore.’ He began, eyes on his bowl, he took a sip.

‘But, after one of my adventures I got them a lot.’ He paused, again looking at Wild from the corner of his eye, his headache spiked and he hissed, taking another sip of soup.

‘S-something… happened…It left things a little different than they had been before. Especially… up here.’ He gestured at his head. ‘And I had to adjust, it took a long, long time.’

He smiled slightly eyes glazed over. ‘But, once I adjusted I realised how much better things were, and now I wouldn’t change it for anything. Once things settled down, the headaches mostly stopped. I haven’t had one in years. Honestly, I think it’s more likely the glare of the sun on the water that caused this one.’

‘Well.’ Wild smiled, ‘I can understand things being… different after your adventure.’ He paused, eyes dulling slightly for a moment and a hand almost unconsciously grabbing at the scarred skin of his left forearm. Four felt himself nodding, wide-eyed, if anyone else could understand it would be Wild.

‘I might not be able to help, but I’ll always listen if you want to talk to someone.’

Grateful that Wild was not pushing for more details, Four nodded.

Wild grinned and added an extra half ladle of soup to the top of Four’s bowl, filling it to the brim once again. The Smithy watched, bemused, suddenly a little afraid.

He eyed the pot still brimming with the, admittedly delicious but very filling, soup.

‘Y-you’re not going to make me eat all of that, are you?’ His head gave another throb of pain, it seemed that the pressure point massage that Wild had given him earlier was fading, and his headache was beginning to come back in full-force.

‘Noooo.’ Wild said breezily and Four relaxed slightly.

‘Not all at once. My friend says that the head and pressure point massages help the headaches from coming back, so we need to do at least one more of those before we leave the clearing. You can eat the rest of the soup after that.’

The younger teen blanched.

Wild rolled his eyes. Obviously, his friend was still not quite running at full capacity.

‘Four…I’m joking.’

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Sorry again to everyone who already read this... 
> 
> I'm studying Food and Nutrition at university and am kind of like Wild in that I express my love for people through food and cooking. It turns out that writing about food and expressing it here through Wild helps me get through the days where the chemistry and physiology classes make me feel like a pure science student and remember the other side of why food is so important.
> 
> Because of that... I don't want to just close this off and not be able to update it anymore because of some arbitrary rule I invented when I first posted. 
> 
> I hope that's ok...


	12. Endura carrot stew

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> This one is for Master_Torch_Master. I used the line you put in the comments of Legend's last chapter about the blupees, I hope this is what you had in mind. <3 It got away from me a little bit, but I really hope you like it. 
> 
> If you haven't read Legend's other chapter, this one is kind of a continuation, so you might want to read it first.

‘S-salmon Meunière.’

Wild looked up from his slate to see Legend standing in front of him, the veteran appeared to be grinding his teeth, body tense.

‘What?’ He asked, baffled.

Legend _glared_.

‘Salmon _. Meunière’_ He gritted, voice a harsh whisper. There was something worrying glimmering in his eyes.

Wild felt his eyes narrow in concern when he realised Legend was actually using the key-words they had jokingly established when he needed to get away. If he was honest, Wild never thought he really would.

He ran a cautious eye over the Vet, noticing that he seemed on the verge of doing something irreversible and destructive. Wild only just realising how much noise the others were making on the other side of the camp.

Instantly he put down what he was working on and stood.

‘Time.’ He said, firmly, catching the attention of the others even through their noise. ‘I need to do a supply run, I’m taking Legend with me.’ He turned and grabbed the Vet by the forearm, the others blinking, astonished at Wild’s commanding tone.

‘We’ll be back tonight.’ He said, leaving no room for argument. He tapped his slate and the two began to disappear into strings of blue light.

The others watched them go with wide eyes.

O o O o O

They landed on cool green grass to a soft breeze and slightly cloudy sky. Legend immediately groaned and put his hands on his knees, breathing deeply for a moment at the method of transport.

It was only the second time he had ever been teleported by Wild’s slate and although his stomach was roiling, he was better off than he had been the first time.

Wild rubbed his back for a moment in sympathy.

‘Sorry.’ He began. ‘You looked like you needed to get out of there and there was nowhere nearby that I could take you.’

Legend breathed in deeply and straightened, taking stock of their new surroundings. There was something magical in the air, it made the explosive feelings inside him retreat slightly.

He nodded his acknowledgment and put a steadying hand up to his brow, supressing the last of the dizziness. Although he didn’t like the method of travel, he couldn’t deny Wild had made the right choice in getting him out quickly.

‘ _Urgh_ … where the fuck _are_ we?’

‘This is Satori Mountain. It’s the safest place I know of in my Hyrule besides villages or towns. Other people and monsters don’t come here.’ He paused, biting his lip.

‘I thought you needed to get away from people, not get near different ones.’

Legend rubbed a hand down his face and took a shuddering breath, already feeling the tension in his chest begin to unwind slightly at the lack of noise around him.

In all honesty, he didn’t even know what set him off.

One minute he’d been sorting his inventory, the next he caught a glimpse of Sky carving a wooden flower for Sun to use in her hair. He wasn’t even sitting that close to the chosen hero, but was unable to block out the repetitive scraping of his knife on the wood or tear his eyes away from the flower that was slowly forming.

Gradually, the sounds of the others laughing and talking began to overwhelm him. And then he was striding towards Wild on legs that were alternating between numb and tingling, using the keywords he never thought he’d say. Keywords that, before today, he was pretty sure were meant to be a joke.

All because of a flower.

Like Marin’s.

He froze.

_…Oh._

‘Are you alright?’ Wild asked cautiously.

Legend closed his eyes for a moment and breathed in deeply through his nose. He held the breath and then released it, opening his eyes at the same time.

He looked down at his hands and was pleased to see that the trembling was slowing, his legs no longer felt like jelly, but he still felt very wobbly and off-kilter.

‘Come with me.’ Wild said softly. He didn’t seem surprised that Legend hadn’t answered his question. ‘There’s a pond at the top, we can sit there for as long as you want.’

Legend nodded with a frown, following the Champion up the hill without complaint.

He could feel the magic in the air, it was ancient and powerful and he was aware of a strange, growing, feeling of dreaminess descending over him. It increased with each step towards the peak of the mountain but, it didn’t seem dangerous, and the Veteran trusted Wild not to put him at risk.

They crested the peak of the hill and, while Wild paused to take in the sight, Legend drifted forward in a daze, inexplicably drawn towards the huge, flowering tree on one side of the pond.

He heard Wild call his name, sounding baffled, but was too focussed on the tree to pay attention.

He slowly lowered himself to sit underneath its canopy, feeling rather than seeing Wild do the same on his side.

He heard a mumble from his friend knew Wild was still trying to get his attention. He was vaguely aware of the sudden pressure of a hand on his shoulder.

The Champion sounded a little worried now, but Legend couldn’t spare any energy to try to interpret what he said.

He was too busy trying to focus on the magic that was swirling around the mountain. If he wasn't careful, he felt that he would get caught up and drown in it.

Suddenly, inexplicably, he knew something was coming.

Another mumble from the side, louder this time.

He felt a gentle hand under his chin turn his unresisting head to the side. He could see Wild’s concerned face leaning forward into his space. ‘… _Legend_?’

He knew his expression must have been blank, most of his attention was directed inward.

The Champion bit his lip, looking indecisive. And Legend forced himself to pay attention to his friend’s words.

‘I…I think bringing you here might have been a mistake. I forgot about your sensitivity to magic. I think that’s why the monsters don’t come here. I can only feel a trickle of it, I didn't realise it would be so different for you.’

The Vet shook his head slowly.

‘’m fine.’ He finally managed, barely audible. 'Shut _up_.'

Legend allowed his eyes to drift shut, trying not to break his concentration of almost, _nearly_ , connecting with the strange, growing, power.

He heard Wild say something else but tuned him out, he reached out blindly and placed a soft hand on Wild’s chest, just over his heart, his other hand over his own, Wild stilled mumbling something that, to the Veteran, was dull around the edges and incomprehensible.

With his hand in place it was easier to feel where the magic was coming from. The trickle coming from Wild, the stronger stream coming from himself, and the absolute tsunami coming from… somewhere…

The area around them was pulsing with a strange vibration that seemed to resonate with something inside him, he felt his own magic begin to release itself as a flood, being called to meet something, he felt the thread of magic coming from Wild increase at the same time.

A green glow began to emanate from the ground and Wild gasped.

The magic was almost overwhelming, Legend’s head was _spinning_.

A small blue creature hopped into existence, closely followed by another, and another, but it was the pond that held his attention. He blinked, and suddenly, as if it had always been there, saw a huge creature with its head lowered to the pond.

The Lord of the Mountain raised its head, several drops of water fell from its mouth into the crystal clear pond and Legend’s eyes followed them down, only just realising that the creature was standing _on_ the water.

He sucked in a breath when two sets of glowing eyes swung towards him. The creature seemed to contemplate him for a moment, before it began to walk forwards.

Legend could feel his own magic react, it was pushing against the glowing creature, testing it and trying to determine if it was a friend. The proximity of the creature and its sheer power were overpowering every other sense.

He couldn't have moved if he wanted to. His hands slipped bonelessly from their chests into his lap.

Finally, the beast reached him. It lowered its head and sniffed at the veteran. Its hot breath ghosted over his face, disturbing the pink strand of hair.

It’s breath smelled of tree sap and rain.

He stared back, unable to look away. A long- _long_ moment passed.

Apparently satisfied with what it found in him, the Lord of the Mountain turned its face and gripped a strand of its own hair in strangely human teeth. It tugged, releasing a single strand of glowing blue hair which it turned and deposited on the pink-haired man’s lap.

With that, its eyes fixed once more on the veteran, seeming to stare through his soul. For the first time in a very long time, Legend felt _young._ It turned its head to look at Wild who was sitting watching, eyes huge and mouth slightly ajar.

And then, in the space of a blink, both the creature and the green glowing of the mountain side was gone, leaving Legend staring gob-smacked at the blue hair that remained in his hands. It thrummed with magic and alternated between a dull blue and glowing neon.

The ambient magic was no longer overwhelming and he felt his own magic snap back into his body, jolting him slightly.

He felt as if he’d just passed a very important test.

He turned startled eyes to the Champion.

‘Wild. What the _fuck_ just happened?’

He felt slightly validated when the cook simply shrugged back, his own, electric blue eyes wide and awed.

‘A-are you ok?’ The long-haired man managed.

The Veteran nodded, the dreamy, dazed feeling from before was gone. He looked down at the hair in his hands.

He felt woozy, as if he’d been using magic for hours, he swayed very slightly and closed his eyes in a long blink.

‘Here.’ Wild said softly, holding out a carrot. Legend froze, heart stilling as for a moment he, suddenly, jarringly, _impossibly_ , thought Wild knew his secret.

The Champion still too distracted to read his friend as he normally would, missed the fleeting expression of panic.

‘It’s an endura carrot,’ he explained. ‘They grow around the base of the tree. I never really knew why before, but it seems like you could use one.’

The Vet crunched into the vegetable and felt a sudden burst of energy, but it quickly faded, leaving him only more aware of how tired he was.

He watched Wild set up a cooking pot, chopping several of the carrots from under the tree and adding a number of other ingredients from the slate.

Several minutes passed in silence, Legend’s hands fiddling with the hair he had been given, eyes glazed and mind a million miles away.

Wild paused, observant eyes raking over his friend as he cooked.

‘Do you want to talk? I brought you here to get away for a bit, but that doesn’t seem to have worked very well.’

Unbidden, the image of Sky carving the flower, humming softly, invaded his mind and Legend slammed his eyes shut, hands clenching. 

He let out a gust of a breath and attempted a wry smile, eyes firmly fixed on the cooking pot rather than on his friend.

‘Nope. Something at camp just reminded me of… a dream.’ Wild wasn’t sure if it was the light reflecting from the water of the pond, but for a moment Legend’s eyes looked damp. ‘Just… a fucking _dream_ I had once.’

Wild nodded self-consciously, eyes on Legend’s face and apparently seeing right through his flippant façade.

‘Wh-when I was struggling with having no memories, I was having strange dreams. I wasn’t sure if they were just dreams or experiences I actually had… _before_.’

Legend’s eyes flew to the chef, startled, as Wild continued.

Wild gave a low self-deprecating laugh, ladling endura carrot stew into bowls.

‘It was…upsetting. I felt like maybe I was crazy. You know… f-from the…shrine?’ He gave a strange, whole-body, twitch and took a deep breath before continuing.

‘But then, my friend Impa saw how much I was struggling. She said that once we see or hear something its part of us forever and that even dreams are part of reality because some of them change how you behave when you wake up just like any other experience would. They become part of your life and your memories. So, if the dreams were changing me for the better, they were just as important and real as my other experiences.’

He trailed off, blushing and thrust a bowl of endura carrot stew at Legend, hands shaking slightly.

Legend took it and stared down, the savoury aroma making his stomach rumble. He was suddenly _ravenous_ after the amount of energy his magic had sapped from him earlier, he shoved a mouthful of soup into his mouth, thoughts running wild. 

He’d never thought of it like that before. Just because something seemed like a dream, didn’t mean it wasn’t _real_. He looked down at the blue hair on his lap.

The whole experience with the Lord of the Mountain had been so surreal, if it wasn’t for the hard evidence of the hair, the Veteran might already be doubting his memory that the encounter had happened.

But the hair was solid, it was real.

It _existed_.

He had Marin’s song, he could picture her face, her perfume.

Despite sometimes feeling as if it has all been in his imagination, and that someone as perfect as Marin couldn’t possibly have existed.

She had been _real_.

It. Had. _Happened_.

He was in no way ready to share his story, didn’t know if he would ever be able to. But knowing that he wasn’t the only one to occasionally struggle with reality was good to know.

He nodded at the chef who nodded back seeming to understand his words had helped.

Legend continued to eat his stew, watching as Wild’s eyes twitched uncertainly towards the strange, glowing blue rabbits that remained surrounding the pond. He knew that Wild’s Hyrule had several strange species of glowing food, including mushrooms and flowers.

There was no reason for him to expect the crazy cook wouldn’t also eat glowing animals.

A small amount of the panic he had been feeling earlier resurfaced at the thought of witnessing the skilled archer effortlessly take down an animal so close in form to his own, but he pushed it down.

There was no way he’d be able to eat the blue rabbits himself, but he’d just tell Wild later that his stomach was upset.

He took another bite of soup, feeling some of the energy sink into him this time. He felt a little better.

He steeled himself.

‘You told the old man we were going for a supply run.’ Legend reminded him in a mumble. ‘Shouldn't you take some of these weird-ass rabbits back so they don’t get suspicious about where we’ve been?’

‘Are you _insane_??’ Wild demanded in a sudden, intense, whisper taking the Vet by surprise.

‘Wh-?’ Legend shook his head. ‘Wild, it’s a fucking rabbit.’ He said blankly.

Wild shook his head hard, hair flying in all directions.

‘There are a few things you just don’t hunt, Legend.’ He held up his hand and began to tick off his list. ‘Foxes, blupees, and wolves.’

‘I know I’m crazy, but I’m definitely not crazy enough to try and cook a blupee of all things. Do you _want_ the Lord of the Mountain to curse me?’

He sounded offended even though Legend knew he wasn’t and the Veteran puffed a tired laugh from deep in his chest feeling the tension drain out of him.

Somehow, knowing that Wild would never cook anything that resembled a rabbit made him feel better. Safer. Gave him more control about when, or if, he revealed that particular secret.

He suddenly felt more in control in general.

‘Well, what the hell are we going to take back? They’re going to ask.’ He had another mouthful of soup, suddenly beyond grateful he had chosen to come to Wild for help and that, of all the places in Hyrule, the Champion had chosen to bring him _here_.

Wild shrugged mouth full of soup and pointed down the hill, ‘There are apple trees down there. I’ll stock up and make apple pies for dessert. No one will even ask where we went.’

Legend held out his empty bowl shaking it slightly with a questioning eyebrow raised to indicate he wanted seconds. Wild took it with a bright smile and swiftly refilled it, passing it back. Both obviously feeling better now that they had some hot food in their stomachs and the shock of their encounter was passing.

‘Wait…’ Legend’s face lit up in sudden realisation, he looked up from his bowl. ‘Do you just make food everyone likes when you don’t want us to ask what you’ve been doing?’

Wild’s eyes shifted awkwardly to the side. Away from his friend’s face.

‘ _Noooo_ …’ He whispered, unconvincingly.

Legend sipped at his second bowl sharp eyes on his friend as he thought back on the times Wild had used that technique without anyone realising.

‘You sneaky fuck…’ He mumbled just loud enough for Wild to hear, the Champion could not entirely suppress a grin when he realised Legend’s tone was more than a little admiring.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> What do you think? A bit weird?
> 
> I really thought this would be the last chapter I wrote for this fic for the foreseeable future, but I've had a truly HORRENDOUS week. I was driving to work this morning, channeling my inner Legend (aka, being a snarky asshole) and went *gasp*... RAVIO!
> 
> I A D O R E the purple bunny. I don't know how it would work to give him a chapter, but I'm thinking it would be in my best interests to try. So maybe... in the future, there will be more.
> 
> I just want to thank everyone for their comments too. They've really helped this week, a few of them have had me tearing up. I haven't had a chance to answer all of them yet, but I just... thank you so much to everyone who left a little note. <3
> 
> Lala


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